On Friday, the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP),organized a flag hoisting event at residential islands across the Maldives as part of their preparations for the upcoming presidential campaign. The event took place simultaneously in the evening, with MDP members from each island in attendance.
Ibrahim Waheed (Iburey), the Deputy Chairperson of MDP, highlighted that the event showcased the party’s continued unity and emphasized that MDP is presently the strongest political party in the Maldives. Iburey also mentioned that activities such as hanging campaign posters and gathering information for the party’s manifesto are currently underway on the islands.
These activities, aimed at fostering the campaign spirit within the party, will continue until tomorrow before the official commencement of the presidential campaign next month. More than 400 party representatives traveled to different regions on Thursday to participate in these events.
These activities occur at a time when MDP has experienced a rift, leading to the resignation of senior officials who supported Parliament Speaker Mohamed Nasheed, the leader of MDP. These officials have initiated efforts to establish a new political party called ‘Fikuregge Dhirun.’
However, MDP’s Chairperson, Fayyaz Ismail, stated on Thursday that the resignation of these officials would not significantly impact the party’s overall membership, expressing confidence in winning the election in one round.
President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, the MDP’s presidential candidate, emerged victorious in the party’s primary election, defeating Nasheed by a wide margin. Following his loss, Nasheed started a separate political movement within MDP, which is now progressing towards becoming a distinct political party under the name ‘Fikuregge Dhirun.