MDP chairperson election: Nasheed leads in Meekail’s constituency

Former President Mohamed Nasheed is in the lead in the South Galolhu constituency ballot box—the home constituency of his opponent and the constituency’s parliamentary representative Meekail Ahmed Naseem—in Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) chairperson election.

Following a highly contested campaign, Nasheed appears poised to secure victory over Meekail, who is backed by former president Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, in the race for the party’s chairpersonship.

The election which kicked off at 14:30pm, concluded after 21:00pm tonight. Preliminary results available so far place Nasheed in a substantial lead.

In the South Galolhu-1 ballot box, Nasheed secured 166 votes, while Meekail received 119 votes. Nasheed also leads in the Galolhu North-1 ballot box, where he obtained 195 votes compared to Meekail’s 51 votes.

The election is regarded as politically significant for the MDP, marking the first major internal contest involving Nasheed since his return to the party after leaving ahead of the last presidential election to form a new political party, The Democrats. Supporters of Solih argue that Nasheed’s actions at the time contributed to the party’s defeat in the 2023 presidential race.

Meanwhile, supporters of Nasheed argue that the party strayed from its founding principles under Solih’s leadership and that Nasheed was sidelined. As a result, the contest between the two candidates is widely viewed as a decisive battle that will determine which faction shapes the party’s future direction.

Both candidates conducted energetic campaigns in the lead-up to the vote. Nasheed’s campaign focused on restoring the party’s "Yellow Army" while advocating for structural reforms. Meekail’s campaign, built around the slogan "Trust," emphasized party unity and pledged to strengthen the representation of ordinary members and local councilors within the party’s National Council.