Nasheed back on MDP’s throne after three major defeats

Former president Mohamed Nasheed has reasserted his influence within the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) after securing a decisive victory in the party’s Chairperson election, marking a significant comeback following three consecutive major defeats to former president Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and candidates aligned with his faction.

Nasheed’s return to a leading position within the party follows a series of electoral setbacks against the Solih camp. The first major defeat came during Solih’s presidency, when Imthiyaz Fahmy, who was backed by Nasheed, lost the chairperson election to Fayyaz Ismail, backed by Solih. This was followed by Nasheed’s own defeat to Solih in the MDP’s 2023 presidential primary.

In the aftermath of that primary loss, Nasheed departed the MDP and established a new political party, 'The Democrats.' He later returned to the MDP after The Democrats suffered significant defeats in both the presidential and parliamentary elections.

Nasheed’s faction also encountered another setback earlier this year during the MDP primary held to select the party’s candidate for the Male’ mayoral by-election. In that race, Adam Azim, backed by Solih faction, defeated Ali Azim, who was supported by Nasheed’s faction.

Following this succession of defeats, Nasheed has now successfully regained a key leadership position within the MDP, a development widely seen as a significant shift in the party’s internal balance of power.