Fayyaz Ismail has resigned as Chairperson of the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).
He announced his resignation before concluding a meeting of the MDP National Council last night. Adhadhu has obtained a copy of the resignation letter.
Fayyaz said he decided to resign because he intends to contest in the 2028 presidential election. He underlined that there were serious challenges to the party's work with other leaders who also have an interest to run for President. His letter noted that the challenges and differences of opinion have created a lot of rifts within the party.
"Therefore, I intend to end the perception that I am an obstacle to the party's leadership and the advisor to run the party with full authority and power. I have also promised to open the opportunity for members to express the views about the leadership during meetings with members. I have resigned as party Chairperson effective immediately to open this space for criticism."
Fayyaz added that important steps have been taken to strengthen the party's administrative management since he took over. Even at the time, there was tension between former Presidents Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and Mohamed Nasheed. To address this issue and to discuss strengthening the party’s governance, important changes were made to the party’s constitution at the 2022 congress, which concluded with the intention and agreement on both sides to resolve the issues through dialogue.
The letter stressed that when both Solih and Nasheed indicated that they would contest the 2023 presidential election, he felt that it could lead to a split in the party, and described it as a serious threat to the future of the party and the country as a whole.
Fayyaz said he met with Nasheed's team five times on their request to find a solution. At the meeting, Nasheed's team proposed that he would not contest in the election if a referendum of the system of governance is held before the presidential election. His team also wanted MDP to support a parliamentary system. However, the two sides failed to reach an agreement and the talks were suspended.
The letter said Fayyaz had subsequently met with Nasheed with Solih's proposal and reached an agreement. It was agreed that Solih would contest the presidential election on behalf of the MDP and that a referendum would be held before the presidential election on the system of governance. But the MDP would not openly take a stand for the referendum.
Fayyaz's letter said he was very pleased with the agreement and it renewed his hope that the party's unity and strength would be restored and the election would be won.
However, even after agreeing to these conditions, some senior MDP leaders were convinced not to proceed as agreed. As a result, both Solih and Nasheed contested the primary.
"At the end of the primary, we lost our friends who had spent many years together working for reforms, the party as a family was divided and we lost the presidential election," Fayyaz said in his letter.
Photo: Mohamed Shabin/ Adhadhu
The letter added that the party was in the midst of the political rifts even as the parliamentary elections approached. The proposal to form a coalition of the two sides to contest the seats was not rejected, he said. The MDP lost seats in the parliamentary elections by a very small margin, he said, adding that if they had moved forward together, they would have succeeded.
Fayyaz thanked all the party members for their cooperation and assistance. He also assured that he would continue to contribute to the party’s progress as a member of the party’s national assembly and as an ordinary member despite his resignation as chairperson.
