The government has started sacking political appointees that resign from the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) to join the new opposition The Democrats.
The Democrats are led by supporters of former president and parliament speaker Mohamed Nasheed. He remains the president of MDP and has not commented on the new party.
President's Office spokesman Miuvaan Mohamed told Adhadhu that political appointees who were chosen on MDP slots are being sacked for leaving the party. They are being removed upon request of the MDP, he added.
Termination letters sent by the President's Office to senior officials in various government posts are circulating on social media, but the number of sacked employees is unclear.
Despite the sacking of political appointees that leave MDP to join the Democrats, political appointees on the slots of both the recently-dissolved Maldives Reform Movement (MRM) and the Jumhooree Party (JP) - which has decided to challenge the government in the presidential election - have not been sacked to date.
The Democrats party of 13 lawmakers and other senior members of the MDP who left the party was authorized last Wednesday to recruit the 3000 members needed for registration.
The party is expected to submit the membership forms to the Elections Commission (EC) this week.
