Spokesperson: Government waiting for MDP

President’s Office Spokesperson Ibrahim Muaz Ali has said that the government was waiting for a reply from Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) regarding the planned dialogue between the government and opposition parties.

He told Sun Online today that the government had informed MDP that it was not possible to include former President Mohamed Nasheed in the discussions.

The letter sent in this regard to MDP details the reason behind the government’s decision, and requests MDP to inform its decision following this development, said Muaz.

The government has accepted the proposition by Adhaalath Party (AP) to include its President Sheikh Imran Abdulla, who is in police custody, in the discussions.

Muaz said that this is because Imran is remanded for a period granted by the court for an investigation, and it is possible that he is released before the start of the dialogue.

He added that the government cannot ask Imran to attend the deliberations if he is still in police custody.

The government hopes to include all three parties and will only commence the discussions when all parties are fully prepared, said Muaz.