Gayoom hits back at Yameen’s call for guidance and unity

The 78-year-old noted that his half-brother’s secretariat had publicly refused to invite him to the Progressive Party of the Maldives’ fifth anniversary rally, and went on to stand by his public withdrawal of support for Yameen, accusing the president of coercing employees of state-owned enterprises to attend the rally.

Yameen, who is at war with Gayoom over control of the ruling party, appears to have outmanoeuvred the former strongman, by winning supreme court support for a ruling that put him in charge by effectively stripping Gayoom of his powers as elected leader of the party.

However, opening his speech at the well-attended gathering on Thursday, Yameen had said: “This is a happy night. But the happiness would be greatly enhanced if our party’s president was with us. Without a doubt, a shadow has been cast upon this rally because our party’s president is not with us.”