Republic Day should have marked the third constitutional transfer of power: Nasheed
All Maldives presidents, except Abdulla Yameen, were inaugurated on November 11, Republic Day
Former presidents Mohamed Nasheed (r) and Maumoon Abdul Gayoom | Presidents Office
In a tweet on Republic Day, former president Mohamed Nasheed said that the day should have marked Maldives’ third constitutional transfer of power.
Maldives governed as an Islamic sultanate until 1953, when Mohamed Amin Didi was elected as the first Maldives president.
In 1954, the monarchy was restored in a referendum with King Muhammad Fareed Didi at the helm. He was deposed in 1968 when Maldives became a republic for the second time.
In the tweet on Sunday, Nasheed highlighted that, in the first 40 years of the second republic, Maldives saw two transfers of power, and said that this Republic Day should have marked the third transfer of power.
All Maldives presidents, except Abdulla Yameen, were inaugurated on November 11, Republic Day. Due to various issues in the 2013 election, President Yameen’s inauguration was postponed to 17 November 2013.
While president-elect Ibrahim Mohamed Solih first requested that his inauguration be held on November 11 this year instead of November 17, some including President Yameen had voiced opposition.
Solih later relented to holding his inauguration on November 17 as planned, vowing to put the nation first and make decisions that everyone approves.
