Elections Commission (EC) today dissolved The Democrats, which was formed under the leadership of former President Mohamed Nasheed, along with an additional party.

In an announcement made by the EC, it stated that because the Maldives Labor and Social Democratic Party (MLSDP) and The Democrats failed to meet the legally mandated requirement of 3,000 members to remain as a political party under the Political Parties Act within the given duration, the commission decided today to dissolve both parties and remove them from the registry of political parties.

Nasheed, who previously left MDP and formed his own party under the name The Democrats alongside a warning that he would dismantle MDP, has now returned and rejoined MDP, deciding to compete in the party's chairperson election scheduled to be held on the 12th of this month.

While Nasheed is campaigning to compete for the party's chairpersonship under the name "Bodu Badhalu" (The Big Change) after rejoining MDP, he has also announced that he will work to secure the 2028 presidential ticket for the party's former chairperson, Fayyaz Ismail.

The Democrats was formed ahead of the 2023 presidential election amid tensions that arose between Nasheed and former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih. Along with Nasheed, members loyal to him who were in MDP at the time also left the party and joined The Democrats.

The Democrats was formed on July 12, 2023. Senior figures who played a leading role in forming the party also rejoined MDP early this year.

Although Nasheed did not compete in the last presidential election, Ilyas Labeeb competed as the candidate for The Democrats and secured the third-highest number of votes in the first round.