The bitter dispute between ruling party leader Maumoon Abdul Gayoom and incumbent president Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom boiled over on Thursday after the elder Gayoom withdrew his support for his half brother.
The former president publicly announced his decision hours after the archipelago's top court rejected an appeal of the court order handing control of the ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) to president Yameen.
The half brothers have locked in a bitter power struggle ever since the elder Gayoom publicly urged lawmakers to vote down a government proposed amendment to the tourism Act.
Gayoom later suspended the internal committees of the party after one voted his son out of the party for breaking a whip-line.
Two government lawmakers then filed a civil lawsuit against the elder Gayoom claiming that the ruling party had been hijacked.
Gayoom lost the lawsuit after the Civil Court last week found him guilty of violating the constitution, party charter and the political party law.
The High Court had upheld the court order granting full control of PPM to president Yameen in the capacity of the chief advisor -- a default post offered to the party's successful presidential candidate under the party charter.
The Supreme Court however, rejected the appeal saying that there were no grounds to overturn the ruling.
The verdict came as Gayoom was preparing to hold a rally to mark the party's fifth anniversary at the PPM headquarters. However, police had blocked the rally after the Supreme Court verdict.
Gayoom then proceeded to hold a small gathering at a different venue, where he withdrew support for his half brother.
"I don't believe that this government now follows the principles and beliefs of this party. Since I'm the ruling party leader, I also have to take some blame for the wrongdoings of the government. So effective immediately, I'm withdrawing my support for the government," Gayoom announced.
The rift between the two brothers has split the party in two and the elder Gayoom has continued to rally key figures to his side.
After three more lawmakers joined his faction earlier Thursday, Gayoom's lawmaker son Faaris Maumoon had declared the eight lawmakers "Gayoom's parliamentary group."
President Yameen who until this point had maintained that the dispute could still be resolved through dialogue, has not responded to losing Gayoom's support which according to his opponents could be a major blow for his chances of re-election in 2018.
