Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, former president and one of the leaders of the ruling coalition, has expressed disapproval of Jumhooree Party (JP) leader Qasim Ibrahim’s decision to support the opposition coalition.

In a tweet on Sunday, Gayoom also expressed his gratitude for JP President and Tourism Minister Ali Waheed for guaranteeing his support for the government.

In Minister Waheed's post, said that he remains with the people and nation in solidarity with President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih's government and vowed not to defect to the opposition and leave the ruling coalition behind.

This comes after JP leader Qasim announced that his party will be supporting opposition candidates in the parliamentary elections.

The rift between main ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) and JP emerged after MDP decided to contest almost all seats in the parliamentary election, which Qasim claims violates an agreement the parties had made.