Dr. Waheed expresses desire to be given the office of President once more
Declared that he did not wish to compete in a primary, and would assume the presidency if it was handed to him once more
Dr. Waheed presently serves as Special Advisor to the PPM-PNC coalition
Former president Dr. Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik has declared that he is prepared to receive the office of President once more, declining to contest in and win a primary in order to do so.
Dr. Waheed made the remarks on the "Bunaashey Ahaa" programme aired on Dhivehi Raajjeyge Adu. Dr. Waheed had the shortest presidency in the history of Maldivian democracy, and is also the candidate to have received the least number of votes in a presidential election thus far. Alluding to his 2013 elections defeat where he attained just five percent of votes, Dr. Waheed has previously described that to be the biggest failing of his political career.
Following his defeat in the 2013 elections, Dr. Waheed has been largely removed from Maldivian politics, but presently serves as a Special Advisor to the opposition coalition. Dr. Waheed said that he had been forced to return to politics after spending a number of years abroad in light of the current state of the opposition's Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), of which he has been a member for seven years.
Speaking on the programme, Dr. Waheed attempted to justify the extension of his presidency following delays in conducting the 2013 Presidential Elections. Despite being president of the Maldives for a period of two years, Dr. Waheed has expressed that he no longer wishes to contest in primaries, presidential or parliamentary elections in the Maldives. Dr. Waheed also shed light on some ways he believes that the opposition's political activities can be strengthened, especially with the Local Council and Women's Development Committee elections slated for the upcoming month of April.
In his capacity as Special Advisor to the opposition, Dr. Waheed has declared that it is their hope that former president Yameen will be able to contest in the 2023 Presidential Elections. Ex-President Yameen is now serving a five-year prison sentence after having been found guilty of laundering money from state coffers.
