Alhan Fahmy leaves JP following questions over his political independence

Former parliamentarian Alhan Fahmy has left Jumhoory Party (JP) to run as an independent candidate in the upcoming local council elections.

Alhan, a mayoral candidate for the capital Male’ City, said on Thursday that the Elections Commission (EC) has confirmed his candidacy.

In a letter announcing his resignation from JP, Alhan said that his previous decision to remain with the party despite running in the elections as an independent candidate had drawn questions over his political ideology.

He said that he, himself, found his JP membership as plausible grounds for questions over his political independence, and was therefore resigning from the party “for the time being”.

“As the fact that I remain a Jumhoory Party member despite contending as an independent candidate has drawn questions over my political ideology from some parties, and because I, myself, find my being with a political party at this time to be grounds to warrant questions over by political independence, I inform you of my decision to resign from Jumhoory Party for the time being,” wrote Alhan in his letter.

Alhan had joined JP in November 2018. He had previously served as Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP)’s deputy leader, and also as a member of Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) for a short time prior to joining JP.