The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP)'s Chairperson, Fayyaz Ismail has affirmed that the party leadership has not considered resignation despite the party's significant loss in the 20th Parliamentary election.
The MDP faced defeat in the parliamentary election held last month, securing only 12 out of 93 seats, a stark contrast from its previous supermajority in the 19th Parliament. Following the election calls for the resignation of MDP President Abdulla Shahid and Fayyaz have surfaced, with many asserting that the party's resurgence as a strong party can only be achieved with a new leadership.
Speaking to the media after MDP's National Assembly held Wednesday, Fayyaz acknowledged the magnitude of MDP's loss in the election. However, he underscored that the party's leadership would stand firm and that there were no plans for resignation. He asserted that the leadership's primary priority is to ensure the party comes back stronger, and said the recent defeat has fueled the motivation to further improve the party.
"The MDP congress will be held next year, and if the party sees fit that the current leadership should resign, then the decision can be taken [at the congress]," said Fayyaz, signaling that resignation discussions are premature at this stage.
Fayyaz further pointed out that many of those advocating for leadership resignation harbor anti-MDP sentiments and are not of MDP ideals.
In response to the electoral defeat, the MDP National Assembly last night approved a study to analyze and identify the reasons behind the party's loss in both the presidential and parliamentary elections.
