Committee elected after Nasheed's members boycott MDP meeting
By
Mariyam Umna Ismail
Dispute over how to select the committee overseeing the MDP primaries has led to Speaker Mohamed Nasheed’s faction to boycott the meeting held Monday evening, eventually resulting in the committee being formed by the remaining members supporting President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.
MDP’s National Council is tasked with forming a five-member committee to oversee the upcoming primaries whereby the party members will decide a presidential candidate for next year’s election.
However, differences arose in the meeting after Nasheed's faction submitted only three names to the five-member committee.
Instead Nasheed’s faction suggested:
-
to include two persons from both the candidate which makes a total four members, and then one common person suitable for both candidates
-
the purpose was for the committee to be fair to both the presidential candidates
The three names nominated by Ali Azim on Nasheed’s faction were:
-
*Former President of MDP’s Villingili constituency, Mohamed Ibrahim Manik
-
N. Atoll Council President Mohamed Bashir
-
if President Solih's supporters agree, party deputy chairperson Ibrahim Waheed
Since Azim had proposed only three names, party chairperson Fayyaz Ismail who was chairing the meeting allowed him to nominate two more names.
However, Azam refused to nominate any more names, stating that a committee with equal representation of the two candidates could be formed only if the committee was formed as proposed by him. Instead he suggested for President Solih’s faction to propose three names as well.
“A three candidate nomination cannot be called for a vote,” party chairperson Fayyaz Ismail had replied.
Despite being given three more opportunities to discuss the proposal of additional names, the pro-Nasheed members reiterated that the committee should be set up as proposed by them.
However, the pro-President Solih faction did not agree to this proposal which thus eventually led to members of the Nasheed faction to boycott the rest of the meeting.
Names for the five member committee was then nominated by MP Hussain Shaheem which was put to a vote leading to all the remaining members unanimously voting for all the names.
The five members selected for the committee are:
-
MDP Kendikulhudhoo constituency president Mohamed Eman
-
Party deputy chairperson Ibrahim Waheed
-
Party spokesperson Anas Abdul Sattar
-
Party's Upper North Province President and state planning minister Akram Kamaluddin
-
Former president of the party's legal committee Ahmed Abdulla Afeef
During the debate earlier in this meeting about how to form the committee, pro-Nasheed members questioned the fairness of the primaries. The members said:
-
Primary was declared in violation of party's basic rules. Azim stated that elections cannot be announced until election committee was formed
-
The two candidates did not get equal opportunity and time to fill the support form
-
that most of the members expected to support Nasheed had been expelled from the party
Chairperson Fayyaz has, however, denied these allegations.
