A concerning message was sent to Dr. Mohamed Muizzu’s wife from an unknown sender on her phone. The message claimed that Muizzu was trying to disrupt the opposition PPM-PNC coalition’s plans for the upcoming election. Muizzu has reported the threat to the police.
The message accused Muizzu of trying to reverse decisions made by former President Yameen and warned of possible problems if he continued on this path. It also hinted that Dr. Mohamed Jameel Ahmed, Yameen’s teammate and legal head, might become the opposition coalition’s presidential candidate if Yameen couldn’t run.
The Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) condemned the threats against Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, who is both the Male’ City Mayor and deputy leader of the party. The PPM sees these threats as an attempt to cause division among their leaders.
Former President Yameen was sentenced to 11 years in prison for money laundering and bribery connected to the sale of V. Aarah for a resort project in 2022. Despite being in jail, Yameen submitted his candidacy with help from the Maldives Correctional Service. The Election Commission (EC) initially accepted the form but later rejected it. Yameen appealed this decision to the Supreme Court.
Because of the uncertainty of the appeal, Yameen asked the Progressive National Congress (PNC) to find an alternative candidate for the election. Muizzu is rumored to be a possible choice. However, he hasn’t given an official response. Some say Muizzu has a strong influence in the opposition coalition’s senate. In a recent speech, Muizzu expressed support for Yameen and advised against challenging his candidacy.
The opposition coalition’s leaders had given Yameen the power to pick a candidate, but he wanted the PNC’s senate to decide.
