MDP National Council Meeting Aborts Amid Row Over Interim Chair Election
Nominations for MDP interim chairperson.
A meeting of the Maldivian Democratic Party’s (MDP) National Council to elect an interim chairperson was called off on Friday evening following heated disagreements over procedure and eligibility, exposing deepening internal rifts within the main opposition party.
The council had convened to choose a temporary replacement for former chairperson Fayyaz Ismail, who resigned last week after failing to bridge tensions between former presidents Mohamed Nasheed and Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.
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Three names were proposed for the interim chairperson’s post: former Speaker of Parliament Mohamed Aslam, former Dhidhdhoo MP Abdulla Waheed, and Hanimaadhoo MP Abdul Ghafoor Moosa.
However, the sitting reportedly broke down after disputes emerged over Aslam’s nomination. A former MP, speaking to MV+ on condition of anonymity, said the “heat began” when the chair refused to accept Aslam’s name on the grounds that he is not a member of the National Council, raising questions over whether he could legally carry out the duties of chairperson.
According to those present, Abdulla Waheed secured 47 votes out of the 96 council members who participated. The chair, however, ruled that this did not meet the required threshold for election, a decision Waheed’s supporters dispute. They insist that, based on their understanding of the rules, Waheed should be considered elected.
Deputy chairperson Ibrahim Waheed was also scheduled to preside over further voting on some of the other proposed names. But the session was halted after a significant number of members walked out, prompting the chair to declare that the meeting could not continue.
Party insiders say the contest for the interim chairpersonship is the latest flashpoint in a long-running power struggle between factions aligned with Nasheed and Solih.
Sources say Abdulla Waheed is backed by a bloc close to former president Mohamed Nasheed, while Aslam is favoured by figures aligned with former president Solih. Aslam served as Solih’s running mate in the 2023 presidential election and later became Speaker of Parliament in November 2023, following Nasheed’s resignation, serving in the post for the remainder of the last parliamentary term.
This is not the first time Aslam has been at the centre of an internal tussle. In 2019, his name was proposed by then Ex-president Nasheed for Speaker of Parliament, while Solih pushed for former Vilufushi MP Hassan Afeef. After an intense internal debate among newly elected MDP MPs, a compromise was reached that saw Nasheed elected Speaker, seen at the time as a balancing act between the rival camps.
The rivalry has since reshaped the Maldivian political landscape. The internal power struggle eventually led Nasheed and his supporters to break away and form a new party, The Democrats. Nasheed’s camp played a prominent role in the 2023 presidential election, running a strong campaign against Solih that many within the MDP now see as a key factor in the party’s defeat.
Earlier this year, Nasheed and many senior figures who had left with him returned to the MDP, re-energising but also further complicating the party’s internal dynamics.
Fayyaz Ismail’s resignation as chairperson was widely viewed as a casualty of these unresolved tensions. He is understood to have stepped down after failing to mediate between the Nasheed and Solih factions, particularly over the question of who should lead the party into the 2028 presidential election.
A new wave of internal conflict is looming over the MDP as it heads into primaries for the upcoming local council elections. Fayyaz and his allies have joined Nasheed in supporting former MP Ali Azim’s mayoral campaign against the current Malé City mayor, Adam Azim, a close ally of Solih.
According to party sources, MDP figures remain sharply divided over their preferred candidate for 2028. A recent heated exchange between Nasheed and Solih in a WhatsApp group of current and former National Council members, reportedly triggered by a discussion on the party’s poor showing in the 2023 election, underlined how raw those divisions remain.
With Friday night’s National Council meeting ending without a decision, the MDP now faces further uncertainty over its leadership structure at a time when it is still grappling with questions about its future direction, its role in opposition, and its strategy for the next presidential race.
