Nasheed 'not eyeing' to be the next Speaker
The current parliament speaker is MP Qasim Ibrahim, who was elected after Solih's win in the 2018 presidential election, with Nasheed's support
Former President and the newly elected Central-Mahchangolhi constituency MP, Mohamed Nasheed speaks exclusively to RaajjeTV
Former President Mohamed Nasheed, who was elected to parliament on Saturday, has said he has “no interest” in being parliament speaker.
Speaking exclusively to RaajjeTV on Sunday, in his first interview since being elected, Nasheed said he is not interested in the highest post in the People’s Majlis.
He further stated that Mohamed Aslam, who won the North-Hithadhoo constituency seat in Saturday’s election, is qualified for the job, but added that a decision will be made after discussions with members of his Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).
Noting that MDP’s main goal, throughout the election, had been to inform the public of its agenda, Nasheed said that the people have shown that they are interested in what the party is offering.
He added that the people “will see” things being handled different in parliament, for the next years.
The current parliament speaker is Maamigilli constituency MP and Jumhooree Party (JP) leader, Qasim Ibrahim.
Qasim was elected as speaker after President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih’s win in the presidential election, with Nasheed’s support. Then-Speaker Abdulla Maseeh had decided to resign following a decision to move forward with a no-confidence motion against him.
While the current parliament will dissolve on May 28, when the new MP’s take oath of office, a new speaker and deputy speaker must be elected at the first sitting.
While the interim results show MDP securing a super majority with around 65 votes, Nasheed emphasized that its notable victory “is a first” in the country’s parliamentary history.
