News Desk
Speaker of the People’s Majlis Abdul Raheem Abdulla has announced his grand final act in Maldivian politics: securing a second term for President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu. Once that dream comes true, the veteran political kingmaker promises he will pack his bags and step away from politics for good.
Speaking on PNC’s official channel MMTV during the morning show Araairu, Abdul Raheem declared that he has already achieved everything he ever set out to accomplish politically. Everything, that is, except engineering a historical second term for the current commander-in-chief.
“My ultimate dream under this system is to see President Muizzu become the very first leader to win a consecutive second term,” Abdul Raheem said. “I want to make that happen, and I will pour every ounce of effort into it as long as I have the opportunity. Once that is done, I will walk away from political life.”
Abdul Raheem showered praise on the President, claiming Muizzu governs with a deep understanding that the nation’s independence and Islam are inseparable. He went so far as to label Muizzu the only president in Maldivian history who truly listens to the people.
The sudden burst of loyalty raises a few eyebrows across the political divide. At the start of this administration, Abdul Raheem stood firmly as Muizzu’s right-hand man and chief architect of his rise to power. But that honeymoon period hit a rough patch when Abdul Raheem himself publicly admitted that the President had stopped consulting him and that their relationship had turned cold.
Making the sudden shift even more eyebrow-raising is the bitter history between the two behind closed doors. Muizzu abruptly sacked Adhurey’s son, Ibrahim Faisal, from his post as Tourism Minister out of the blue. That came despite Faisal being widely credited with repairing the crucial people-to-people ties between the Maldives and India after junior officials tied to Muizzu launched unprovoked attacks on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Faisal had personally traveled to India, led high-profile roadshows, brought in Bollywood celebrities, and successfully put the Maldives back on Indian travel itineraries. Yet, he was dumped without ceremony—and his successor didn’t last long either, leaving Muizzu burned through three different Tourism Ministers in under two years.
So the million-dollar question echoes through the streets of Male’: can the public really trust Adhurey’s latest promise? He already pulled off the impossible once by dragging Muizzu across the finish line and into the President’s Office. Whether he can pull off the magic trick a second time—or whether his promised retirement is just another tactical pause—remains to be seen.
