Mariya calls on Adam Azim to apologise to MDP supporters
Competition within the MDP is intensifying ahead of the Malé mayoral primary, with factional support divided between the two candidates.
Former MDP Chairperson Mariya Ahmed Didi on Monday responded to Male Mayor Adam Azim’s claim that he restored morale among MDP members after the party lost the 2023 presidential election.
Competition within the MDP is intensifying ahead of the Malé mayoral primary, with factional support divided between the two candidates:
-
Former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih’s faction backs incumbent Mayor Adam Azim.
-
Former President Mohamed Nasheed and former MDP Chairperson Fayyaz Ismail support former MP Ali Azim.
Speaking at a campaign rally at the MDP camp on Friday night, Adam Azim said he had lifted the spirits of party members who, he claimed, were “wearing blankets” in disappointment after the loss.
In response, Mariya—who served as Defence Minister in the previous MDP administration—said she was not endorsing any candidate in the primary. However, she countered Azim’s remarks, noting that after the presidential defeat “there were people who were overwhelmed”, and in that context “Adam Azim stood up for the MDP”.
In a detailed post, she referred to the efforts of MDP supporters during earlier political upheavals, including the events of 7 February 2012, when former President Mohamed Nasheed resigned. Without naming Nasheed, she wrote that the government “had no choice but to resign”.
Her comments are seen as a reference to Adam Azim’s brother, Mohamed Nazim, who became Defence Minister in the succeeding government and had urged Nasheed to resign during the opposition protest on the day of the transition.
Mariya wrote that MDP supporters had consistently mobilised despite pressure, including arrests and legal actions during the PPM-led government that took office in 2013. She said supporters had remained active regardless of “jail cells, pepper spray, trumpets and sentences”.
She criticised Adam Azim’s characterisation of party supporters, stating that such language was inappropriate while contesting on the MDP ticket.
“As someone who is called the mother of the MDP, and in many other capacities, I cannot accept it,” she said.
Mariya urged him to apologise to MDP supporters for implying that he led them out of despondency.
She added that the MDP’s grassroots strength was not dependent on any single individual.
“The MDP’s yellow army is proving it every day,” she wrote.
