Former Vice President Dr. Mohamed Jameel Ahmed has left the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM).
Dr. Jameel left the party alleging that the newly sworn-in PResidet Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, who belongs to the PPM-PNC coalition, was not adhering to his commitments and purported mistreatment of former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayyoom, who himself had recently exited the party to establish a new political party.
Dr. Jameel joined the PPM in its early days in 2011. President Yameen secured victory in the 2013 presidential election with Dr. Jameel as his running mate. However, their relationship took a downturn when Dr. Jameel learned of President Yameen's plans to pursue his impeachment and arrest him for alleged coup plots. In response, Dr. Jameel left the Maldives and remained abroad throughout Yameen's presidency. His removal from office occurred in his absence, with widespread multi-party support, including from the then-ruling PPM and the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP). Following the development, Jameel departed from the PPM to join the opposing coalition as its leader.
However, when Yameen was arrested on corruption charges during former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih's presidency, Dr. Jameel reconnected with Yameen, and the relationship between the pair was on the mend. Subsequently, Dr. Jameel was appointed as the lead counsel for Yameen's legal team. He rejoined PPM during that time.
For the recent presidential election, Yameen chose Dr. Jameel as his running mate once again. However, Yameen was barred from contesting the election due to his ongoing conviction, after which the PPM-PNC put forward an alternate candidate, Dr. Mohamed Muizzu. He won the election with overwhelming support.
