The ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) did not make any deals "with any party to change the Constitution," PPM's leader and former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom has stated.
Gayoom made the comment via his official twitter account on Tuesday, following a tweet by PPM member, former Minister of Home Affairs, Umar Naseer. However, neither parties referred to each other in the tweets.
According to Naseer, PPM and opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) had "reached a secret deal and voted to amend the Constitution allowing the sale of [our] land," on July 15, 2015, calling to vote for the "third front." Naseer has announced that he will be running for the PPM ticket for the 2018 presidential elections.
On 22/7/15, PPM & MDP reached a secret deal & voted to amend the constitution allowing the sale of our land. So, say YES to our #ThirdFront
— Umar Naseer (@UmarNaseerPPM) February 21, 2017
Not too long after his tweet, the former President fired back at Naseer, and asked him to "be accurate."
Noting that PPM did not make any deals with any parties to change the Constitution, Gayoom alleged that "maybe some elements within [the] government did."
PPM made no deal with any party to change the constitution; maybe some elements within govt did. Please be accurate!
— Maumoon Abdul Gayoom (@maumoonagayoom) February 21, 2017
Furthermore, the PPM leader has also retweeted a tweet by his daughter, Yumna Maumoon, who said that the amendment to the Constitution authorizing foreign freeholds in Maldives was passed without holding any discussions with the PPM Council.
In July 2015, 70 parliamentarians voted in favor of said amendment, allowing foreigners who invest more than one billion dollars to purchase land within the project site. The constitution previously prohibited foreign ownership of any part of Maldivian territory, but allowed leasing of land for up to 99 years.
