Fathimath Ibrahim, wife of the jailed former President Abdulla Yameen, has joined the campaign for Dr Mohamed Muizzu, the presidential candidate of the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) and People’s National Congress (PNC) coalition.
The former First Lady met with campaign teams at the PPM-PNC’s main campaign hub near Alimas Carnival on Monday evening, marking her first official involvement in the campaign.
Her participation puts to rest speculations about her absence, particularly since rumours have been rampant about Yameen retracting his support for Muizzu.
Adding to the evening’s surprises was the appearance of former President Mohamed Nasheed at the same event. Nasheed, who was at the headquarters of The Democrats nearby, walked over to greet Fathimath Ibrahim and was heard joining supporters in chanting ‘Free President Yameen’.
This act is consistent with his recent calls for Yameen’s release, stating that it is unjust for Yameen to be imprisoned alone in connection with the MMPRC corruption scandal.
Yameen is currently serving an 11-year prison sentence due to his involvement in the MMPRC corruption scandal. This has barred him from contesting in the upcoming presidential election on 9 September. Initially, Yameen had called for a boycott of the elections but later extended his support to PNC presidential candidate Muizzu, following the joint decision by the senates of PPM and PNC to endorse Muizzu.
