Thasmeen responds to Riyaz

Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) Leader Ahmed Thasmeen Ali has responded to Gaumee Party’s Vilifushi MP Riyaz Rasheed’s claims that DRP had joined forces with Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).

Speaking at a DRP rally at Lh. Naifaru last Saturday night, Thasmeen said that Riyaz makes baseless claims regarding DRP at the Parliament. He refuted Riyaz’s claims, which came following how some MPs of DRP voted on an issue put forward by MDP pertaining to Police and Military brutality.

He said that Riyaz’s purpose is to convince the public that DRP and MDP were working together; however, the outcomes of the past days prove that such a coalition does not exist.

He noted that Riyaz voted in favor of MDP on the issue of no-confidence of the Speaker of Parliament Abdullah Shahid, and that DRP did not comment on his action.

“We did not criticize how he voted on the issue submitted by MDP regarding the Parliament Speaker. How did he vote? He voted in support of MDP. And then he goes on to say that we have formed a coalition with MDP – this is not very responsible.”

Thasmeen stressed that DRP will not form a coalition with MDP even at the presidential election next year.

Riyaz had said at the Parliament that DRP has ties with MDP, and that as part of the government, DRP advocates and works for MDP. He had also said that the DRP-Gaumee Party coalition had broken up.

Meanwhile, MDP’s presidential candidate Mohamed Nasheed has said that coalitions have never been successful in Maldives, and that MDP will not form any coalition in the future.