President-elect Dr Mohamed Muizzu, in a television appearance on Friday, delineated the political ambitions of his People’s National Congress (PNC) – Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) coalition ahead of the forthcoming parliamentary elections. Remarkably, however, he conspicuously omitted any mention of the Maldives National Party (MNP), a coalition partner. This raises questions about the nature of the coalition and its future strategy for the parliamentary elections.
During an appearance on Sangu TV, Muizzu outlined his aspirations for a supermajority in the upcoming parliamentary elections. He stressed the crucial role the Parliament plays in fulfilling government promises and underscored his aim to secure as many PPM-PNC seats as possible.
“The role of Parliament is very important to fulfil the promises and works of the government and the PPM-PNC members should be in parliament to decide the affairs of the new government,” Muizzu explained.
According to Muizzu, achieving a two-thirds majority, or a supermajority, in Parliament is the target. This would allow for easier legislative successes and a more streamlined governance process. Moreover, Muizzu stressed that these parliament members should not only represent PPM-PNC but should also be accepted and educated figures in the eyes of the public.
The current 19th parliament is dominated by the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), albeit without a supermajority due to defections. Currently, there are only eight PPM-PNC MPs in Parliament. For PPM-PNC to achieve a supermajority, they will have to make significant inroads into MDP territory and capture a large number of seats.
What adds an intriguing dimension to Muizzu’s revelations is the complete absence of any reference to MNP. This is significant, as MNP’s leader, Colonel (Retired) Mohamed Nazim, had earlier clarified that his party would be contesting the parliamentary elections in coalition with PPM-PNC.
Nazim’s comments, however, sparked outrage among PPM supporters, leading to tension within the coalition. Neither PPM nor PNC has yet commented on the issue, raising questions about MNP’s role and potential seat-sharing in the elections.
The omission of MNP in Muizzu’s recent talk brings up more questions than answers. With MNP representing a smaller share of the vote and PPM-PNC supporters clearly unimpressed with the idea of seat-sharing, the coalition faces not just external but also internal challenges.