MDP Primary: Mariya refutes accusations of job threats to Nasheed supporters

President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih's spokesperson in the primary, Mariya Ahmed Didi, has said that it is an insult to the brave members of the Maldives Democratic Party (MDP) and claim that they are being threatened in connection with the party's presidential primary.

Earlier on Friday, MDP's President and Parliament Speaker Mohamed Nasheed's campaign team issued a statement alleging that the current administration has been threatening the jobs of MDP members that were supporting Nasheed in the primary election.

Responding to these allegations, Mariya, who is also the Minister of Defense, said MDP members had never feared they would have to lose their jobs, and to insinuate otherwise is an insult to both the party and its members.

The primary election is scheduled to be held on January 28. The internal conflict between the two factions of the MDP has become more apparent than it has ever been because to the campaigns run by both candidates.

MDP is moving like Maumoom did prior to Presidential Election of 2008: Nasheed

In the statement released by Nasheed's campaign team, they alleged that MDP's recent actions mirror those taken by former President Maumoom Abdulla Gayoom prior to the 2008 Presidential Election.

These include transferring Nasheed's supporters to other islands in the country and ordering MDP members working in state institutes to attend campaign events organised by President Solih's team.

Nasheed's team claimed that the relocation of the party members was to obstruct them from casting their vote for Nasheed. It also alleged that the government had threatened MDP members who were employed in government institutes with disciplinary action if they failed to attend these events.

The statement also noted that MDP members were concerned that the practices they worked together to eliminate in 2018 were resurfacing again around election time.