Former President Mohamed Nasheed has said that former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih was given two opportunities to contest in the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) presidential primary.

His remarks came after Fayyaz Ismail resigned as MDP chairperson, citing internal divisions between Nasheed and Solih during the presidential primary and the reasons behind the party’s losses in both the 2023 presidential and parliamentary elections.

In a message shared with a WhatsApp group of MDP MPs, Nasheed thanked Fayyaz for outlining why the party suffered consecutive defeats. Nasheed alleged that while he had previously attempted to allow Solih to run for presidency without contesting, Solih and some of his close associates did not support a similar approach.

In his resignation letter submitted to Parliament, Fayyaz said he did not wish to hinder the party’s work. He highlighted efforts he had made to bridge the growing rift between Solih and Nasheed, noting that both leaders had initially pledged to resolve their differences. However, he said many within the party feared that allowing both to run in the primary would negatively impact MDP’s future.

Fayyaz revealed that he held several meetings with members of Nasheed’s faction at the Parliament Secretariat to discuss the possibility of avoiding a contested primary. He said talks also included discussions on holding a referendum on the system of governance before the 2023 presidential election. Although MDP supported a parliamentary system, the discussions collapsed without an agreement.

He further stated that negotiations were later resumed at the request of former President Solih, during which an agreement was proposed: MDP would avoid holding a presidential primary and proceed with a governance system vote instead, without endorsing a specific system. However, no final agreement was reached with Nasheed.

Fayyaz said the failure to maintain unity led to MDP’s defeat in the 2023 presidential election. Following the loss, he attempted to strengthen the party ahead of the parliamentary elections, including efforts to form coalitions with other political parties, but these attempts were unsuccessful.

He added that despite the work MDP has carried out against President Dr Mohamed Muizzu’s administration over the past two years, internal discord remains high, and members of the public have begun questioning the party’s direction.

Fayyaz’s resignation marks another significant development in the ongoing turmoil within MDP as the party continues to confront internal divisions.