Former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom has said that President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu is not the reason for the economic crisis in Maldives.

Speaking at a rally held last night as part of a series to introduce candidates contesting for the Parliament with his support, Yameen said that the economic crisis in the Maldives is the result of how the former administration ruled under former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.

"The economic situation in the Maldives is not because of something President Dr. Muizzu did. We were left in this situation by the 5-year tenure of MDP. Today they are saying that the president doesn't know how to run the state, or manage money or clear the debt. But they don't want to believe that they created these problems. They say that the state institutions are not independent, but we know who influenced the institutions during their rule," Yameen said.

Further criticising the MDP government, Yameen said that MDP did not use the sovereign power of the Maldives by deploying Indian troops in the Maldives, that it was MDP that sold off the southern seas in the Maldives and refused to show documentation.

"Government should be held accountable by the Parliament. With the example MDP members set in the parliament, should we allow such members to represent us again?" Yameen asked during the meeting.

He said that a government can be held accountable only when there are fewer members of the government who have the courage to hold the government accountable for the decisions they take and not by members who harass the government.