Parliament Speaker and The Democrats founder Mohamed Nasheed has expressed his stance regarding an alliance with the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).
During the parliament sitting on Tuesday, September 12, a member urged Nasheed to form an alliance with the ruling party, to which he responded that it was "no longer possible."
Kaashidhoo MP Abdulla Jabir, who recently joined the ruling party, stated during Tuesday's parliament sitting, while discussing the formation of parliament's standing committees, that the citizens who voted for Ilyas Labeeb, The Democrats candidate in the first round of the presidential elections, share the same political ideals as the ruling party.
MP Jabir highlighted the importance of forming a union between the two parties that share the same ideologies, and called to MDP leadership to discuss with The Democrats for an alliance.
"The issue was MDP's split, no other problem. If that can be 'glued' back then [the alliance] would proceed forward... I urge everyone to enter negotiations, and elect President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih," Jabir said.
However, Nasheed, who was presiding over Tuesday's sitting, interrupted the MP's statements.
"I would like to point out that, such a thing is no longer a possibility," Nasheed responded to Jabir's requests.
MDP candidate and incumbent president Ibrahim Mohamed Solih came in second at the first round of the presidential elections with 86,161 votes while Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) and People's National Congress (PNC) coalition's candidate and Malé City Mayor Dr. Mohamed Muizzu took the lead with 101,635 votes.
Following the first round results, President Solih extended invitations to other political parties to form alliances ahead of the second round of the election.