The four children of Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, the longest-serving President of the Maldives, have declared their alliances in four different directions for the upcoming Presidential Elections.
With Maumoon’s backing, the eldest son, Ahmed Faris Maumoon, is contesting independently following his party, the Maldives Reform Movement (MRM), being dissolved by the state due to its failure to retain the minimum membership requirement of three thousand members.
The eldest daughter, Yumna Maumoon, who has been serving as the Minister of Arts, Culture, and Heritage, has declared her support for the incumbent President, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih. She remained loyal to him even as her party, MRM, decided to break its coalition with the current government.
Yumna’s twin sister, Dunya Maumoon, who served as the Foreign Minister under their uncle, former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom, split from her then-family-founded Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) to become a founding member of the Maldives National Party (MNP). She backs its candidate, Mohamed Nazim.
The youngest son, Ghassan Maumoon, has remained by his uncle’s side at PPM and is working with its coalition partner, the People’s National Congress (PNC), to support their candidate, Dr Mohamed Muizzu.
Sceptics allege that the once-united former first sons and daughters are now beacons of Maumoon’s foresight, shining on all corners of the Maldivian political landscape.