Nasheed: Will ensure MDP leaders are unable to enter foreign countries

Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP)’s former leader Mohamed Nasheed says he will ensure the party’s leader are unable to travel to foreign countries.

The former Maldivian president is currently in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to attend the 17th Global Citizenship Conference.

He made the threat against MDP leaders in response to a message by MDP’s parliamentary group leader Mohamed Aslam on the Parliament’s WhatsApp group, congratulating Hinnavaru MP Jeehan Mahmood on being elected as the chair of Inter-Parliamentary Union’s Committee on Democracy and Human Rights.

“Aslam, I will have MDP members ousted from all these positions. And I will ensure they are unable to enter foreign countries,” said Nasheed, against whom the MDP have submitted a no-confidence motion, seeking to dismiss him as the Parliament’s Speaker.

He added that losing the Parliament’s presidency will be “small compared to what’s coming.”

Sharing a screenshot of Nasheed’s messages on X, Addu Meedhoo MP Rozaina Adam congratulated Jeehan, and also accused Nasheed of threatening her.

“While we’ve only 4 female MPs in the parliament & this is such an honor for us, our speaker, who has no confidence of the parliament decided to threaten her on the occasion,” she wrote.

Congratulations MP @JeehanJMS on getting elected as the chair of the @IPUparliament Human Rights Committee.
While we’ve only 4 female MPs in the parliament & this is such an honor for us, our speaker, who has no confidence of the parliament decided to threaten her on the occasion pic.twitter.com/wG2XFI7l0M

— ???????? ???????????????????????????? ???????????????? (@Roxeyna) November 8, 2023

Nasheed, who left the MDP on June 21, following differences with President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, has repeatedly threatened to “dismantle” MDP – a party which he founded.

He is now a member of the Democrats – a new party composed of a breakaway faction from the MDP.

The MDP had originally submitted no-confidence motions against both Nasheed and Deputy Speaker Eva Abdulla – Nasheed’s cousin and fellow Democrats member, earlier this year. The motion against Eva was submitted with the endorsement on 50 MPs in May, and the motion against Nasheed followed, with the endorsement of 54 MPs, in June.

But the MDP withdrew the motions in September, while the party was engaged in negotiations with the Democrats – the party to which both Nasheed and Eva belong – for the presidential runoff election.

The recent motion against Nasheed was submitted with the endorsement of 49 MPs on October 9.

The MDP parliamentary group has issued a three-line whip to vote in favor of the motion.

The MDP holds a majority at the Parliament, with 56 MPs. However, the motion has remained stymied at the Parliament – with the presidency firmly in Democrats’ control.

This prompted the MDP to lodge a constitutional case with the Supreme Court, which concluded hearings on Tuesday. However, the court has yet to announce when it will deliver its judgement.