President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and the Maldives Reform Movement (MRM) have decided to hold further talks before agreeing to continue their current alliance.
MRM is part of the current ruling coalition, along with the main-ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), Jumhooree Party (JP), and Adhaalath Party. While President Solih has invited coalition partners to continue their partnership with MDP for the upcoming presidential election, Adhaalath Party has accepted the invitation and will be backing President Solih. Meanwhile, Jumhooree Party has decided to contest the election separately and field its own candidate.
The MRM's Council decided that the party would consult with President Solih before making any decisions regarding the election. In this regard, President Solih and MDP's Chairperson and Economic Minister Fayyaz Ismail met with senior MRM officials on Sunday.
The meeting was attended by the party's leader and former president, Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, party president Faris Maumoon, party vice-president Shazail Shiyam, and the party's secretary general.
An MRM official told AVAS that no decisions were taken at Monday's meeting and that the two sides agreed to hold further meetings for discussion.
"We discussed today what we wanted to clarify and what needs to be further confirmed," he said.
MRM and the JP have been saying that the agreement signed with the MDP in 2018 to bring President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih to power is not being implemented properly.
