The Democrats' Vice President Mohamed Shifaz and the party's council member former MP Ali Azim have joined the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).
Sources from both the MDP and Democrats also said former MDP senior official Ibrahim Rasheed (Maamigili Ibu) re-joined MDP on Friday.
They could not be reached for comments by phone calls but did not deny joining MDP when contacted through WhatsApp messages.
Meanwhile, Hussain Amr, who was the running mate of the Democrats' candidate Ilyas Labeeb in the 2023 presidential election, has also signed up for the MDP.
Amr in an interview with Adhadhu. -- File Photo: Miraan Nashim/ Adhadhu
A source with information on the matter said members who joined MDP met with Democrats President Hassan Latheef to explain their reasons for leaving the party.
"They will officially announce it [the change of party] very soon. They wanted a good platform for political activities. In fact, they had the same pulse as MDP," the source told Adhadhu.
Out of the four members, Azim was previously expelled from MDP for attending opposition activities related to the Chagos issue and for signing a no-confidence motion against Attorney General (AG) Ibrahim Riffath.
Following Azim's expulsion from the MDP, many MPs left the party and some government officials resigned to begin the formation of the Democrats.
MDP's split was caused due to competition for the presidential ticket. Former President Mohamed Nasheed refused to accept his defeat in MDP's presidential primary and started a campaign against former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih who won the ticket for a re-election campaign.
Many believe that this is one of the main reasons why the MDP lost the presidential election.
After Amr's return to the party, former Hulhumale' MP Ali Niyaz welcomed him in a post on X on Friday night. He said MDP will always allow space to work for political reform and that MDP welcomes anyone who wishes to go forward in their political career.
