Nasheed and Democrats rejoining MDP boost for reform: Fayyaz

Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) chairman Fayyaz Ismail has welcomed the decision of former president Mohamed Nasheed and members of The Democrats to rejoin the party, calling it an encouraging step toward reform.

Fayyaz made the remarks in a post on X, following an informal meeting of the MDP National Assembly to discuss The Democrats’ decision to merge with MDP.

“MDP was founded with the introduction of democracy in Maldives and remains the country’s oldest political party,” Fayyaz said.

“Whenever the country veers off course, it is the courage of MDP members that helps restore direction.”

“At a time when we must remain extremely vigilant about the actions of the government, President Nasheed and members of The Democrats have rejoined the party,” he added.

Following the meeting, MDP issued a statement reaffirming its openness to those committed to contributing meaningfully to the country.

“The party will continue to work hard with the newly joined members, along with President Nasheed,” the statement read.

MDP also criticized the current administration, saying government actions had gone off course and that the democracy achieved through years of struggle was now under threat.

“In defense of the country, every member of MDP will continue to speak out,” the party said.

As the largest opposition party, MDP reiterated its commitment to holding the government accountable and safeguarding constitutional rights.

The Democrats' National Assembly passed a resolution on Tuesday stating that strengthening the opposition is the best path to winning next year’s local council elections, restoring public trust in the multi-party political system, and ensuring a more accountable government. Therefore, many members believe it is necessary to unify efforts and join the opposition MDP, the resolution said.

Of the 46 members who attended the meeting, only a few reportedly opposed the move to merge with MDP.

The Democrats was formed on July 12, 2023, after a rift emerged between then-President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and MDP president Mohamed Nasheed during the last presidential election. Nasheed later broke away to establish The Democrats, who contested the 2023 presidential race with Ilyas Labeeb as their candidate. However, several senior figures who were involved in the party's formation rejoined MDP earlier this year.

The MDP leadership and many members believe that the main reason for the party's loss of the 2023 presidential election was that Nasheed formed The Democrats Party and fielding a presidential candidate.

Nasheed joined The Democrats on 13 July 2023, warning at the time that he would disband MDP.