Former President Mohamed Nasheed has announced his decision to run for the chairperson post of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), alongside senior party figure Fayyaz.

At a press conference, Nasheed outlined proposed sweeping changes to the Maldives’ governance system and constitution. The key proposal is to separate the roles of head of state and head of government, assigning them to two different individuals.

Nasheed said he does not want to wait until 2028 to implement the reforms and aims to begin the process as early as next week. He added that he would first seek MDP’s approval before moving forward with constitutional amendments.

Under the proposed system, the president would no longer be elected directly by the public but instead chosen through votes by incumbents. However, the head of state could only be removed through a direct public vote, according to the proposal.