The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) and The Democrats have agreed to work together as opposition parties to hold the government accountable.
The Democrats is a political party comprised of former senior MDP leaders who parted ways with the party ahead of the last presidential election. Many attribute former President and MDP presidential candidate Ibrahim Mohamed Solih's defeat in his re-election bid to the Democrats working against the MDP.
Speaking with reporters on Wednesday, Democrats' President Hassan Latheef expressed concern over the increase in political positions under the current administration. He emphasized the need for a law that caps the number of political positions—an idea supported by MDP. Hassan also expressed significant concern about how the country's current foreign policy is taking shape. He highlighted concerns that the current foreign policy is detrimental to the people, as it may lead to clashes with significant [global] powers.
MDP's Chairperson Fayyaz Ismail echoed concerns about government actions. If the government wins a majority in the upcoming parliamentary elections, it will retain many of the rights guaranteed to the people in the Constitution, he said.
“We have decided to monitor the situation as a responsible opposition and hold this government accountable. At the same time, we will work to bring about the necessary legal changes through parliament to improve the democratic future of this country,” Fayyaz said.
