The Democrats meet Pres Muizzu for cooperative efforts

The Democrats have met with President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu seeking collaborative efforts to work together in the future.

The party founded by former President Mohamed Nasheed had also worked against the current administration with the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).

Senior officials of The Democrats had previously criticized the current administration on several occasions as well.

The Democrats leader Hassan Latheef and Deputy President Mohamed Shifaz on Tuesday met with President Muizzu. Shifaz had confirmed their meeting in the President’s Office while speaking with ‘Sun’. This marks the second time President Muizzu met with seniors of this party.

Shifaz said the party sought potential collaboration with President Muizzu and his administration on the constitutional reforms planned by his government. The Democrats had requested to include them in the government’s reform efforts as a crucial ally.

The party further discussed some of the policies the current administration can implement.

“If The Democrats provide its assistance to the government’s constitutional reform efforts, it would mean that the party is working with the administration,” Shifaz said indirectly.

While the party met with President Muizzu for prospective collaboration talks, The Democrats, along with its leader Latheef, have been vocal critics of President Muizzu’s administration.

The party also alleged Dr. Muizzu’s administration is guilty of employment intimidation as well.

Reports further claim of dissent within the party after its leaders met with the president. Its general members had voiced their criticism regarding the meeting in the party’s WhatsApp group.

Ahead of the parliamentary election in April, The Democrats had joined hands with MDP against the government. During the now-concluded 19^th parliament assembly, both parties had agreed to work together back then.

Nasheed, who founded the party after exiting MDP due to differences with former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, recently hinted he was ready to work with his former party once more.

Solih and Nasheed had a public fallout after the former denied the latter’s request to transition state governance into a parliamentary system, something for which he had campaigned for years.

Not long after Nasheed’s exit from MDP, he founded The Democrats which saw other senior officials previously attached to MDP join its ranks.

 

The two parties contended in both the presidential and parliamentary elections. While MDP secured minority seats at the 20^th assembly, The Democrats could not secure any.