The opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) interim chairperson Abdul Ghafoor Moosa has urged members interested in contesting the next presidential election to put the party’s interests first.
Speaking to media for the first time after his election on Tuesday, Ghafoor said the party’s focus must remain on strengthening its internal cohesion.
“We are here to do the work for the party’s future. There is no one in the party we cannot speak to. We will sit down and talk with everyone,” he said.
He said he would not take a biased approach in his new role and noted that differences in opinion were natural in a political movement, adding that such disagreements would not divide the party. He expressed confidence that existing differences would be resolved through dialogue.
“We have no bias. [I have] no intention of contesting the presidential election. We have the MDP in front of us,” he said.
Ghafoor, the MP for Hanimaadhoo, was elected interim chairperson on Monday night with 65 votes from 66 members present at the National Assembly meeting. The position became vacant following Fayyaz’s resignation. The sixty-sixth member chaired the session and was not eligible to vote unless required to break a tie.
He thanked members for their trust and acknowledged the work of former chairperson Fayyaz Ismail, describing him as a key figure in the party’s leadership. Ghafoor is the longest-serving member of the MDP parliamentary group in terms of years in Parliament.
His immediate task is to prepare the party for the upcoming local council elections.
Ghafoor’s election followed the collapse of an earlier leadership process. Former Dhidhdhoo MP Abdulla Waheed withdrew his candidacy last week after accusing party president Abdulla Shahid, former president and party adviser Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, and members of the Parliamentary Group of failing to honour commitments of support. Waheed said he entered the race after senior party figures encouraged him to stand.
During the 27 November National Assembly session, Waheed initially received 49 votes in a show-of-hands count. One vote was later withdrawn. Members linked to Solih, Shahid and the Parliamentary Group began to walk out during the recount, leading the session to end without a formal result.
Party figures said those numbers signalled wider support for the bloc aligned with former chairperson Fayyaz Ismail than senior leaders had expected.
Fayyaz later backed Ghafoor as a unity candidate, allowing the party to close the leadership gap and move forward.