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Quoting reliable sources, the local media reports that Gasim Ibrahim has selected Dr. Mohammed Munavvar as his running mate. This appears to be a tactical move by Jumhooree Party to establish a base in the South, following the failure of talks with another Addu person, Dr. Ugail.
Selecting a running mate from Addu will be helpful to Gasim's bid for the presidency, not just because Addu is the most populous atoll. Addu people have a disproportionately high influence on Maldivian politics because of two reasons. First, they are more politically conscious than people of other atolls. Second, they are more connected to the internet compared to most other atolls, which enables committed activists among them to launch web-based campaigns.
Munavvar was formerly the President of MDP, a post he won in an election last year, in which he prevailed over Ibrahim Hussein Zaki. However, this year he lost the party presidential primaries to Mohammed Nasheed (Anni). When Jumhooree party was launched, he resigned from MDP and joined the new party.
What will Munavvar bring to Jumhooree party from Addu? Judging from his showing in the past two polls, he does have a core of loyal supporters in the atoll. However, in a four-way contest with MDP, DRP and Hassan Saeed, the share of votes Jumhooree Party actually gets may be somewhat less than what either Gasim or Munavvar expects.
Despite this, all in all, Munavvar is likely be positive at least in Addu for Jumhooree Party, which currently does not have sufficient party cadres in Addu to launch an effective campaign. With Munavvar's appointment the Party can immediately put to use his core supporters, an important consideration given the shortage of time left for the election.
At the national level, things are more difficult to predict. Unlike Dr. Ugail, Munavvar comes to Jumhooree Party with a heavy load of baggage, some of that positive and some negative. Only time will tell which way the load will tip.
