Former President Mohamed Nasheed has said he enjoys “frequent communication” with former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.

He said this in a tweet on Tuesday after Maldives Independent reported that the two have not talked to each other since March 2017.

In the tweet, Nasheed said that despite the report, he enjoys frequent communication with Gayoom.

“Moreover, I appreciate his views and advice,” added Nasheed. 

Maldives Independent published a report last week, citing “a highly placed source in the Gayoom camp,” claiming that the former rivals have not spoken to each other since signing the agreement in 2017 to work together to restore democracy in the country.

The source told Maldives Independent that senior politicians on both sides have been trying unsuccessfully to facilitate meetings between the two.

It said that both parties are putting up a front “for the public and media,” but that they are at odds, and that the “disunity among the leaders is a major concern.”

The news website also claimed to have spoken to a senior official of Nasheed’s party MDP, who “corroborated that Nasheed and Gayoom had not spoken since the coalition was formed”. According to the official, there is “a huge lack of confidence between the both of them and it has shown throughout last year,” adding that it has been “quite difficult to find areas where everyone is willing to compromise in order to move forward.”

Also noting that the idea of the opposition uniting behind a single candidate was first brought up by Nasheed in January 2017, Maldives Independent highlighted that Gayoom was dismissing questions regarding the possibility of a single candidate “as late as November 2017.”

It also pointed out that Al Jazeera reported that Gayoom had demanded $100,000 from Nasheed ahead of the formation of any alliance, as a “goodwill gesture.”

Al Jazeera reported that Nasheed paid at least one installment of $50,000, but the two have denied this.

The presidential elections are to be held this year.