From defiance to capitulation: Democrats return to MDP mothership

The Democrats’ national assembly adopted a resolution for “members to join the MDP.” But the stated goals of creating a stronger opposition in order to ensure government accountability, win the upcoming council elections and restore faith in the multi-party system have not convinced all Democrats.  

Ashiyath Alaika Adhnan, a vice president of the Democrats, questioned the authority to “make such personal decisions on behalf of another” and “categorically” rejected the resolution. 

“Its essence is flawed, and in my view, it holds no enforceable or legitimate value," she said.

The confusion and lack of clarity over whether the party will be dissolved have left members – including many young people drawn by the dream of a different kind of politics – feeling disillusioned and betrayed.

"I joined the Dems with a group of like-minded young people, because we believed there was a need for a third party. This country desperately needed principled politics and radical ideas, like the big question of reconsidering the governance system to innovative solutions on the housing issue," a young supporter who campaigned for the Democrats’ presidential candidate told the Maldives Independent.

"To be honest, those things got us excited and kept us going in 2023 and even the parliamentary elections. But this, this is like any other party now really. Turning and changing at the whims of one person," she said.

The party’s leadership has conceded the lack of consensus.

"There are members in both parties who do not support this decision and they have valid reasons for it as well. My stand isn't condoning the MDP government. They also did things wrongly," Hussain Firushan, a vice president of the Democrats, told the Maldives Independent.

Firushan, who was among the 35 out of 44 national assembly members who voted for the resolution, cited shared political ideology as a key factor.  

"This decision makes sense to me, because I have been saying this for a long time now. MDP has not been able to effectively carry out the role of the opposition and neither has the Dems. I think it is because two parties share the same core ideology over issues like decentralisation, good governance and gender equality. The split has made it difficult to sustain an opposition, even though we have a shared ideology. We tried to work together as two parties and that did not work out. So I support the decision and back it.”

The move was not driven by Nasheed’s interest in contesting the 2028 presidential election, Firushan insisted.  

"There may be room to say this has happened because Nasheed wanted it. The thing is, Nasheed is someone who goes out there to get what he wants, by talking to people and lobbying and bringing them together. But I don't think this is a move regarding presidential ambitions he has. It is what the country needs at this moment," the former lawmaker said.

Other Dems, however, did not share Nasheed's enthusiasm for reunification.

"I am not going to join MDP. No one has shown a good reason for this,” Mohamed Basheer, a Democrats co-founder and president of the Noonu atoll council, told the Maldives Independent.  

“A lot of members are also not going to. It isn't because we might be able to run the Democrats. There is a possibility that the party will be disbanded. But, on principle, there is no valid reason for members who left MDP to go back to that party.”

The resolution was passed at Nasheed’s behest, Basheer said, but cast doubt on whether the former president’s return could bury the hatchet. 

"The argument for rejoining MDP is that there is a need to unite against the current government. I don't see this. I don't see many differences between the last MDP government and now,” he said. 

“They are doing the same things, so I don't understand how MDP is against this or how the opposition is stronger by rejoining MDP. It was passed because Anni [Nasheed] wanted it, but even if Anni rejoins MDP, are they going to come out and say that they also did wrong while in government?”

The Democrats emerged from the wreckage of a bitterly fought MDP presidential primary between "childhood friends" Nasheed and president Ibrahim Mohamed Solih. Years of escalating tensions over corruption allegations, factional power struggles, and shifting to a parliamentary system – the issue that would become the main plank of the Democrats’ platform – culminated in a contest marred by brawls that Solih won with 61 percent of the vote. Nasheed, then speaker of parliament, refused to concede over alleged fraud and disenfranchisement.

The acrimonious split and the Democrats fielding a presidential candidate – a young lawmaker who peeled off seven percent from the MDP base – were widely blamed for Solih’s defeat in the September 2023 presidential election. 

After the Democrats failed to win any seats in council by-elections or the April 2024 parliamentary elections, several key leaders jumped ship and rejoined the MDP, including the party’s president Hassan Latheef, vice president Mohamed Shifaz, former lawmaker Ali Azim and vice presidential candidate Hussain Amr. 

There was “no chance” of the Democrats forming a government, Hassan Latheef told the MDP-aligned Raajje TV.

Nasheed appeared to concur with his first call for reconciliation in April. Unity would be “best at the moment” for both parties and the country as well, he tweeted, prompting MDP members to share the viral video of Nasheed declaring that he would "dismantle" the party he had co-founded during the pro-democracy movement of the early 2000s. 

As others considered the shape of a possible merger or alliance, the Democrats’ secretary general suggested a joint opposition primary to select a single candidate for 2028.

On Wednesday night, the MDP’s national council passed a resolution to “warmly welcome” the prodigals back to the fold. 

Echoing the sentiment of both the MDP chairman and president, Solih posted an old Raajje TV interview of him urging the Democrats’ leadership to set aside personal animosity. “This work we started with MDP is not complete yet," Solih said at the time.

The ill-fated experiment of the Democrats was not all in vain, despite the inevitable end, according to those who followed Nasheed after he accused the MDP of abandoning core principles.

"There was a point to forming the Democrats," said Basheer, defending the founding ideals and alleging internal sabotage. 

"After the election, party activities came to a stop. I believe that those elected to the leadership deliberately did not do any work to take forward and advocate for those policies and principles.”