Senior figures of The Democrats have denied claims by the main-ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP)'s Chairman and Economic Minister Fayyaz Ismail that talks were ongoing to secure the support of The Democrats for the second round of the presidential election.
In Saturday's presidential election, MDP's candidate, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, secured second place with 39.05 percent of the votes, while his rival, the PPM-PNC candidate Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, emerged as the leading candidate with 46.19 percent of the votes. As neither candidate garnered the required 50 percent majority for a single-round victory, a second round of voting has been confirmed, heightening the significance of forming alliances with other parties to secure victory.
Following the MDP National Assembly meeting held today, Minister Fayyaz stated that talks were underway to form a coalition between the Democrats and the MDP and that Parliament Speaker Mohamed Nasheed was engaged in the talks. He said he had not received any offer from Nasheed as of yet and expressed his hopes to work with Nasheed in the days ahead.
“I don’t believe that any of us would jeopardize the country's future due to the personal issues between us,” he said.
Fayyaz attributed low voter turnout as one of the main reasons for the MDP's second-place position in the first round of the election. He also acknowledged the need for improvement in various aspects for the second round.
Meanwhile, countering Fayyaz's statements, senior members of The Democrats insist that no talks had taken place between their party and the MDP, labeling Fayyaz's claims as untrue.
Some ordinary members of The Democrats, which emerged as a breakaway faction from the MDP due to internal disputes, have asserted that they would not vote for President Solih even if the party chose to work with the MDP in the second round.
MDP's Chairman and Economic Minister Fayyaz Ismail
