The Maldives Development Alliance (MDA), led by prominent businessman Ahmed Siyam, has announced that it would be endorsing the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP)’s presidential candidate, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih in the upcoming election.
The party’s National Council met on Friday evening and voted on forming a coalition with MDP in the presidential election scheduled for September 9. The vote passed with 34 of the 36 members in attendance voting in favour of supporting President Solih.
MDA announced the decision on Twitter saying they wanted to give the incumbent President a second term.
“For the betterment of the Maldivian people and to preserve political stability in the country, the MDA Council has decided to form a coalition with President Solih and work towards securing a second term for him,” the tweet read.
On Thursday, MDA met with officials from MDP and the opposition Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) at the Sun Siyam Building in Malé to discuss the potential of forming a coalition. After the meetings, both parties said that the meetings went well and the outlook was positive; MDA did not make any formal statement regarding these meetings.
After the decision, MDA released a statement commending President Solih’s developmental efforts and expressed their willingness to work together to continue the progress he has brought to the country. They particularly highlighted Solih’s ability to maintain and work with a coalition.
President Solih also tweeted expressing gratitude towards MDA’s decision. He welcomed MDA’s decision and said they will work together to maintain stability and progress of the nation.
MDA is the second political party to officially join MDP in a coalition ahead of the presidential election. Adhaalath Party passed a resolution on Wednesday to support President Solih and to continue their role as a coalition partner in the government. Currently, Jumhooree Party and Maldives Reform Movement (MDM) are also part of the ruling coalition. They are yet to announce a formal decision.
Siyam, who is also the Member of Parliament for Meedhoo constituency, declared interest in contesting for presidency last June. MDA even said that it had begun preparations for Siyam’s presidential bid and set a goal of amassing over 10,000 members in two months.
Shortly after, a campaign was launched to rebrand Siyam’s media house, Sun Media Group; however, no significant party activities, or personal engagements by Siyam have been held publicly since.
On Wednesday, MDA said that it would be seeking to form a coalition in the upcoming election instead of putting forth their own candidate, and the following day they met with the main ruling party and the main opposition.
“He [Siyam] is still interested in contesting in a presidential election, but he does not think that this is the most opportune moment for it,” MDA’s Vice President Ali Mauroof told Mihaaru News after the meetings.
Recently, Siyam even met President Solih at the President’s Office; however, neither Siyam nor the President’s Office have disclosed what was discussed in this meeting.
The resort developer and founder of the successful “Sun Siyam Group,” has always been involved in Maldivian politics. He was a member of the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) when it was initially founded by former President Maumoon Abdul Gayyoom. He was a close ally of former President Abdulla Yameen, and in the 2013 presidential election, Siyam’s MDA backed Yameen in the runoff round and was part of the ruling coalition at the time.
However, before the 2018 presidential election, MDA withdrew from the coalition and renounced their support for PPM. The party did not endorse any candidate, nor did they contest in the election that year. Although the party did not state an official reason for withdrawing support for Yameen, it is believed that outgoing President Yameen did not comply with the party’s demands for the next term. There were speculations of a falling out between two the leaders as well.
Besides contesting in the parliamentary election in 2019, Siyam has recently remained away from the political scene and focused on his business ventures. Last October, he was presented with the prestigious “President’s Tourism Gold Award” for his exemplary contributions to the development of tourism in the Maldives, at the gala held to celebrate Maldives’ 50 years of tourism.
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