Solih under fire for holding campaign event on official trip funded by taxpayer money

President Solih is facing criticism for holding a campaign rally on the island of R. Alifushi during an official trip funded by taxpayer money. The campaign rally, which took place as Solih is contesting in the Maldivian Democratic Party's (MDP) primary for the party's ticket in the upcoming presidential election, has raised concerns about the use of state resources for Solih's campaign.

According to reports, some attendees at the campaign rally were employees of state-owned companies who were essentially forced to attend. This is not the first time that Solih has faced criticism for using state resources for his campaign.

Solih is currently running against rival and Parliament Speaker, President Nasheed, in the MDP primary election, set to take place on January 28th. While the majority of cabinet ministers and senior government officials are backing Solih, a small number of party activists remain loyal to Nasheed.