Nasheed: Can no longer reunite with President Solih

Speaker of the Parliament, Mohamed Nasheed, who formed a new party from a breakaway faction from the main ruling MDP, on Tuesday, said that he can no longer reunite with President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.

At Tuesday's parliamentary sitting, MDP MPs called on the former leader of the party to reunite with President Solih. 

Speaking during the debate on the reconstitution of the standing committees of the parliament at Tuesday's sitting, Kashidhoo MP Abdulla Jabir, who recently joined MDP, described votes received by The Democrats during Saturday's presidential election as votes of people who share the same ideology with MDP. 

He stressed that President Solih's election, in a single round, would have been made easier if The Democrats had chosen to reunite with MDP. 

"The problem was the split among MDP, there was no other problem. Once glued back together, things will move forward from that point,” Jabir said

Jabir has called on MDP's leadership and The Democrats to discuss the merger of the two ideologies. However, Nasheed, who presided over the sitting, said they could no longer reunite with President Solih. 

“It cannot be that way anymore,” Nasheed stressed. 

Nasheed has been giving indications that a coalition with MDP will not be formed. 

MP Eva Abdulla, who also spoke at Tuesday's sitting, said the impending decision The Democrats will make regarding the second round will be a good one. 

The Democrats, who have yet to decide their stance in the second round, have scheduled to hold an interim council meeting at 3pm late this afternoon.