Reeko Moosa rejoins MDP

Reeko Moosa Manik has rejoined the main ruling party, Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).

The party officially announced Reeko’s membership on Tuesday.

His membership form was handed over to Economic Minister Fayyaz Ismail, who currently serves as MDP’s chairperson.

Reeko continued to express his views regarding MDP’s activities during the period of time he was not a member. In this regard, Reeko, and MDP’s leader Mohamed Nasheed are two individuals who have vast differences in opinion.

As Reeko rejoins MDP, this time he is surrounded by President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and senior members of the government and the party, which supports the president.

Reeko has previously remarked that there will be no space within MDP for a person with contradictory views to Nasheed. He also said that MDP is under the dictatorship of Nasheed, which is why many members had to leave the party.

“Since Nasheed assumed presidency and took control over MDP, MDP had remained under his dictatorship. The party’s income is spent on his personal needs. There has always been a group that worships Nasheed (within the party). That is why we had to get out, and leave MDP,” he had previously said in an exclusive interview to Sun.

MDP’s Disciplinary Committee voted to remove Reeko Moosa from the party after he violated a three-line whip issued by the party parliamentary group to vote against removing former Chief Justice Ahmed Faiz Hussain and Supreme Court Judge Ahmed Muthasim Adanan from their positions in 2016.  

He was expelled in 2018, mere days after he had announced his intention to contest in 2018’s MDP’s primary for the presidential election. During his membership in MDP, he had served as the party’s deputy leader.

Following expulsion – he joined Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM). However, he left the party shortly, citing concerns regarding the PPM’s leadership’s vision for the party’s future.