Ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) on Monday voted to strip Maumoon Abdul Gayoom from his post as party president.
The motion to permanently strip Gayoom of PPM’s membership was submitted by Inguraidhoo MP Ibrahim Falah at an impromptu council meeting that was held on Sunday afternoon.
Twenty-six members present at the council meeting had decided to forward the motion to the party’s disciplinary committee so that the committee can take action against the former president, who is also president Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom’s half brother.
The party's disciplinary committee had convened late Monday and passed to oust the elder Gayoom after he failed to attend the meeting to respond to the allegations. The former strongman is currently in India on a private visit.
Gayoom has been accused of sympathising with the opposition and that his ideology no longer aligns with PPM’s ideology.
Further, the committee had ruled that the elder Gayoom's involvement with the opposition and it was deemed unacceptable for him to remain as a party member while being actively involved with the opposition.
The decision comes hours after the opposition, led by Gayoom's lawmaker son Faris Maumoon failed to oust the parliament speaker Abdulla Maseeh.
The defeat was a major blow for the opposition as the motion was backed by opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), a few government lawmakers loyal to Gayoom, former government coalition partners Jumhoory Party (JP) and religiously conservative Adhaalath Party (AP).
The now united opposition had hoped that the successful ouster of the speaker would pave the way to possibly impeach president Yameen or force the incumbent president to come to a political consensus with the opposition.
Gayoom lost a bitter power struggle for party control with president Yameen and the party’s incumbent president after the country's civil court handed over party reins to the younger Gayoom.
The rift between the two brothers has split the party in two which ultimately ended with the elder Gayoom publicly withdrawing support for his brother.
