President Solih loyalists exit MDP national council meeting after vote, garnering criticism

Saturday’s meeting attracted a large number of attendees. 

MDP national council meetings have lately been attended by members loyal to MDP leader, former President Mohamed Nasheed, and members loyal to President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih have been absent. 

Members loyal to President Solih are regularly criticized for their absence. 

This was also the case during Saturday’s meeting. 

After the national council concluded votes on two motions, the presidency gave the opportunity for the May 6 Committee to report the progress of their work. 

While there were 123 members in attendance when the meeting began, the numbers dwindled to 104 members when the May 6 Committee began sharing information. 

Members loyal to Nasheed criticized those who left the meeting.  

Ungoofaaru MP Mohamed Waheed said that Saturday’s meeting had begun with immense support, but the numbers had dwindled as soon as ‘May 6’ was mentioned. 

Waheed said that some members don’t treat the assassination attempt on Nasheed on May 6 with any seriousness, and that general members are complaining that some of the top government officials themselves are turning a blind eye to the case. 

“It’s very concerning, Chair. Very concerning. I saw the defense minister was the first to leave when May 6 was mentioned. This is regrettable,” he said. 

MDP spokesperson, North Maafannu MP Imthiyaz Fahmy, too, criticized those who left the meeting. 

Imthiyaz noted that the first sitting of the current session of the Parliament began with the reading of a letter by Nasheed, in which he expressed hesitancy to return to Maldives due to fear for his life. 

He said that the first to be granted the opportunity to speak after the letter was read were two MDP parliamentarians, neither of whom addressed the contents of the letter. While opposition PNC deputy leader, Maduvvari MP Adam Shareef Umar, the third to be granted the opportunity to speak, had expressed concern over the situation. 

Imthiyaz said that the same thing happened in Saturday’s meeting, with members ‘fleeing’ after they got what they wanted.