Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP) MP Hassan Adhil has signed with the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).
”I did not sign with MDP because I was influenced by anyone, I took this step because of the pulse of the people,” said Adhil.
”I believe that the government is conducting many development projects at a high speed, and I signed with MDP for the development of my area at the request of [my constituents].”
Leader of the DQP Hassan Saeed declined to comment on Adhil’s decision.
After signing Adhil, MDP’s parliamentary group now numbers 32 MPs. The opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP), despite having 27 MPs, retains a parliamentary majority through its coalition agreement with the seven MPs of Abdulla Yameen’s People’s Alliance (PA), and the support of both the Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP) and Jumhoree Party (JP) with one MP each.
Numbers game
According to the latest statistics from the Elections Commission (EC), MDP now has a membership of 40,919 people while the DRP has 38,494 people registered.
The PA has a membership of 2932 people, while the JP, led by MP Gasim Ibrahim, has 5529 members registered. The DQP, led by former Attorney General, Dr Hassan Saeed, hsd a membership of 2929 while the Adhaalath Party, led by Sheikh Hussein Rasheed, has a membership of 6020 people but no seats in parliament.
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported that MP Adhil had left the Gaumee (GIP) party rather than the Qaumee (DQP) party. Minivan News apologises for the error.
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