The PPM continues its protests for Abdulla Yameen’s release. The MDP’s Ibrahim Solih and Mohamed Nasheed are amid rows as China and India watch the 2023 election race closely
On 25 December 2022, Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom, former president of the Maldives, was sentenced to 11 years of imprisonment on charges of money laundering and bribery. The opposition Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM), of which Yameen is the presidential candidate, has condemned the Maldives Criminal Court's trial and verdict as a "political witch-hunt". As the Maldives prepares for its presidential election on 9 September this year, Yameen's incarceration raises questions about the potential consequences on the country's political landscape.
PPM party members and supporters have been staging protests in the capital city of Male since Yameen's arrest. Similar demonstrations demanding Yameen's release have also been taking place in other parts of the country, including when high-ranking government officials visit the islands beyond the capital.
Meanwhile, the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) held its primary election on 28 January to determine its presidential candidate for the upcoming election. Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, the current president, emerged as the winner, securing over 60 percent of the vote against his challenger, Mohamed Nasheed, the speaker of the parliament and a former president himself. However, Nasheed has rejected the election results and recently announced the formation of a separate faction within the MDP. While the MDP has had internal conflicts in the past, the current rift between Solih and Nasheed is unprecedented, with both leaders publicly criticising each other in a manner that has not been seen before.