Nasheed: Fayyaz served party, endured jail without hesitation

Former President Mohamed Nasheed has praised Fayyaz Ismail, who resigned as Chairperson of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) on Sunday evening.  

Fayyaz’s resignation was announced in a letter addressed to the MDP National Assembly, in which he said he had assumed the role “with sweet hopes” but acknowledged that internal unrest was now casting a shadow over the party’s work. Despite stepping down as chairman, Fayyaz remains a member of the party’s National Assembly.  

In a post on X, Nasheed said Fayyaz had rendered many services to the MDP since its early days, including enduring jail time without hesitation. Nasheed concluded his message by wishing Fayyaz “more success with the party.”  

Fayyaz was elected MDP Chairman on May 23, 2022, after contesting against National Assembly Member Imthiyaz Fahmy. In his resignation letter, he recalled the party’s 2023 presidential primary, noting that he had been expected to contest but believed the outcome could have posed “a major threat to the future of the party and the entire country.”  

Fayyaz wrote that he had met Nasheed’s team five times at Parliament to discuss Nasheed’s decision not to contest the primary and the possibility of holding a systematic vote on the system of governance before the presidential election. Talks initially stalled but later resumed at Nasheed’s request.  

An agreement was reached to contest the 2023 presidential election without holding a primary, while also calling for a public vote on the system of government. However, Fayyaz said some senior party leaders later opposed proceeding with the arrangement.  

“At the end of that primary, we lost face with our friends who had spent our days together in the reform movement for many years, and this party as a family split and lost the presidential election,” Fayyaz wrote.  

It is notable that Fayyaz remained with the MDP even after the 2023 election split the party and several senior members left. He has never been affiliated with any other political party.