Following the decision by The Democrats to refrain from supporting either of the two leading parties in the second round of the presidential election, it's worth noting that this decision was influenced by recent developments within the Maldivian political landscape.
The Maldives is gearing up for its second round of voting in the presidential election, scheduled for September 30, 2023. The initial round of voting took place on September 9, 2023, featuring eight different candidates vying for the presidency. However, none of the candidates secured the required majority percentage to win outright, necessitating a second round of voting.
This situation has sparked intense speculation regarding which prominent political parties the remaining candidates will choose to form coalitions with for the final round. In the second round, only the top two candidates will compete, and the other contenders have the opportunity to ally with one of the leading parties to consolidate their support.
Following the first round, a significant portion of the votes went to the coalition between the Maldives Progressive Party (PPM) and the Maldives National Congress (MNC), along with the Maldives Democratic Party (MDP). Consequently, there has been keen anticipation regarding which political parties would come together to determine the next President of the country.
In the wake of discussions since the announcement of the first round's results, the Maldives National Party (MNP) swiftly formed a coalition with PPM/PNC. While negotiations have been ongoing with other major parties from both sides, the Jumhooree Party (JP) and The Democrats have recently declared their decision not to enter into coalitions with either of the main parties. A press statement released by The Democrats cited their reason for abstaining from supporting either party as the failure of both parties to respond to their proposals by the deadline, which expired on Wednesday.
Following the decision by The Democrats to refrain from supporting either of the two leading parties in the second round of the presidential election, it's worth noting that this choice was influenced by recent developments within the Maldivian political landscape. The catalyst for this decision was the passing of a resolution submitted to the parliament by The Democrats' presidential candidate and Hulhudhoo MP, Ilyas Labeeb. Notably, this resolution garnered support from members representing the Maldives Democratic Party (MDP).
The resolution, which is now under consideration by the Elections Commission (EC), calls for a referendum to determine the system of government in the Maldives. Crucially, it specifies that the referendum should take place by October 30.
With this, the curious case of which political parties would be forming coalitions for the upcoming elections is officially over with this decision by The Democrats as many were curious to see whether the political party with the third biggest percentage of votes in the first round of election would support any of its opponents.
