President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih met with main-ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP)'s Parliamentary Group Leader, Ali Azim late Monday. Several MDP MPs loyal to President Solih also took part in the meeting.
Speaking regarding the meeting, MP Azim said discussions regarding the government's legislative agenda took place at the meeting. He added that discussions regarding working together with the parliament and other entities also took place.
The meeting between President Solih and MP Azim was conducted at a time when the relationship between President Solih and MDP's President and Speaker of the Parliament Mohamed Nasheed has deteriorated significantly. Nasheed, who is also the former president of the Maldives, recently denounced political alignment with President Solih. Members of MDP seem to be either loyalists to President Solih or Nasheed. Azim is believed to be loyal to Nasheed. However, when Nasheed proposed a resolution to MDP's National Council to press to declare a state of emergency and arrest terrorists, Azim voted against the resolution and spoke at length against it.
While debating the resolution at the National Council, Azim said declaring the State of Emergency is a power given by the constitution to the President of the state, and therefore the resolution must be changed. He added that while it is a power given to the president, it is not right for the party to make a decision on the matter through a vote taken within the party, especially when the president of the country is a representative of MDP.
President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih (L) with MDP's Parliamentary Group Leader, MP Ali Azim (R)
