Former President Abdulla Yameen has said that if forced to choose between MDP and President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, he would choose Muizzu under any circumstance.

Speaking at a rally held by PNF last night, Yameen said that at any hour of the day, and on any day of the year, he would choose Muizzu over MDP. He said the other option would be to support MDP’s presidential candidate, former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, but that is a path he would not take either.

Yameen said MDP is a group that has openly violated all the fundamental principles of democracy, and that being democratic in name alone is not democracy. As examples, he pointed to the party’s efforts to replace the entire judiciary, and the things done at the JSC in the middle of the night.

Given that the Maldives is an Islamic state, Yameen noted that the democracy in place here must be one that fits this country, and that such a democracy is something that must constantly evolve.

Yameen also strongly criticized recent remarks by former MDP Chairperson Hassan Latheef, who said that members of parliament do not necessarily need to have obtained an education. Yameen said education is what is most essential for eliminating corruption and all other wrongdoing, and that if educated people are in place, they would think twice before engaging in corrupt acts.

In addition, Yameen said the “big change” that MDP is trying to bring about is not something that can be borne, and that it would be a heavy burden placed on the shoulders of the citizens.