Former President Mohamed Nasheed has avoided giving a direct answer and shifted his narrative regarding allegations that 39,000 Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) members, believed to be his supporters, were removed from the party registry ahead of the 2023 presidential primary when he was the party President.
During a campaign event in Dhaal Kudahuvadhoo on Saturday night, a participant questioned former Chairperson Fayyaz Ismail about the allegations surrounding the mass removal of members from the party.
As Fayyaz took the microphone to respond, Nasheed intervened, stating that he would be the one to answer the question instead.
Instead of providing a definitive "yes" or "no", Nasheed stated that "a few things happened during that time." He pointed out that following amendments to the Political Parties Act, the Elections Commission (EC) mandated the collection of fingerprints for all members, a process he claimed was concluded very rapidly.
Nasheed further noted that many individuals were lost from the party registry during that transition. However, rather than clarifying whether this was a deliberate move targeting specific supporters, he redirected the conversation toward administrative procedures.
Nasheed’s current explanation, which avoids blaming former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and Fayyaz, suggests an attempt to frame the changes to the party registry as a consequence of legal and procedural requirements.
The dispute over the membership registry remains the most significant internal conflict to emerge within the party following the presidential primary.
