Fayyaz says MDP needs ‘Nasheed effect’ to regain electoral success
Fayyaz said his involvement in the campaign was not driven by a desire to seek political office or personal authority.
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Former Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) Chairperson Fayyaz Ismail has said the party needs what he described as the “Nasheed Effect” if it is to regain electoral success and advance its reform agenda.
Speaking at a campaign rally for former President Mohamed Nasheed in Kulhudhuffushi City on Monday night, Fayyaz said the effort to reform the party and the country had been underway for the past two years.
According to Fayyaz, discussions on reform began after the MDP lost both the 2023 presidential election and the subsequent parliamentary election.
He said that during a visit to Kulhudhuffushi to discuss the party’s future, a group of local MDP members urged him to bring Nasheed back into the party.
Fayyaz noted that Nasheed has since rejoined the MDP and is now contesting the party’s chairperson election.
The former Economic Minister said he had spent the past two years promoting a reform agenda under the theme “The Big Change”, aimed at addressing challenges facing both the party and the country.
“There was no other political leader willing to listen to this. Nasheed is the one who listened and extended his hand for me to move forward with him in this work,” Fayyaz said.
He stated that the reform programme focuses on changes to governance and political structures, while also addressing challenges faced by the MDP when it is out of government.
Fayyaz said his involvement in the campaign was not driven by a desire to seek political office or personal authority.
He added that internal party matters would continue to be managed through established structures, but argued that the party currently lacks a key element that contributed to its past success.
“The missing piece is what we call the President Mohamed Nasheed Effect. That spirit is absent right now. We can only reach our destination by reviving that MDP spirit, with someone of political weight taking charge,” he said.
Fayyaz further argued that strengthening the MDP is necessary if the party hopes to return to government in the future.
He cautioned against assuming that victory in the 2028 presidential election would be automatic for any candidate nominated by the party.
According to Fayyaz, the reform effort being pursued by himself and Nasheed is intended to strengthen both the party and the broader political system.
Concluding his remarks, he said political competition in the Maldives centres on two opposing visions, which he described as the politics of freedom and the politics of control, and argued that unity within the MDP would be required to challenge the current government.
Nasheed is contesting the MDP chairperson election against South Galolhu MP Meekail Ahmed Naseem. The election is scheduled to take place on June 12.
