Minister Waheed scorned by JP, praised by MDP after elections

Jumhooree Party (JP) President Ali Waheed has left the party’s official Viber groups after the party’s poor results in the parliamentary election.

Prior to the election on Saturday, Waheed, who is also the tourism minister, had travelled to the islands to join Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP)’s campaign events to express support for the main ruling party’s parliamentary agenda and its candidates.

In turn, MDP members had praised Minister Waheed for campaigning on their behalf.

Minister Waheed at MDP's celebration after the parliamentary election

Waheed, who had been the MDP chairperson prior to joining JP, has been heavily criticized by some JP members, who blamed him and other senior party members for the party’s poor performance in the election. However, Waheed has said that the senior JP members who supported MDP’s parliamentary agenda did so because JP had been ‘plundered by pirates.’

Speaking at one of MDP’s campaign events, Waheed said that after the opposition coalition PPM/PNC joined JP, PNC leader Abdul Raheem and his colleagues refuse to leave the JP headquarters.

After the election, JP leader Qasim Ibrahim denied claims that his party’s loss was due to him allying with former President Abdulla Yameen and accused MDP of bribing voters.

Minister Ali Waheed and Vice President Faisal Naseem, who is also a senior JP member, had joined MDP’s celebrations on Saturday night after the party won an overwhelming number of seats in the election.

Vice President Faisal Naseem at MDP's celebration after the parliamentary election