Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) serving leader Ahmed Thasmeen Ali has fired a warning at both the government and rival factions within his own party claiming he will remain in his post and face down challenges of internal and external opposition.
Speaking yesterday at the first rally of a recently formed coalition between the DRP and the Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP), Thasmeen claimed that he would work to try and hold the government to account over perceived public dissatisfaction with its work, Miadhu has reported. He added that he would work to oppose the government despite internal strife within his party, which serves as the main opposition party in the country.
Speaking at Kalaafanu School in Male’ yesterday, the DRP leader was reported to have said that he believed soaring prices, limited health services as a well as a “flagging economy” and widespread corruption had led citizens to turn to the opposition in a “desperate cry for help”.
However, Thasmeen is under pressure from certain MPs within the DRP following disputes between supporters loyal to himself and those backing his predecessor and former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.
Just last week Ahmed Mahlouf, a DRP MP who is seen as being a major player within the so-called Gayoom faction of the party, called on supporters to boycott Thasmeen’s rally claiming he did not truly represent the DRP.
According to Miadhu, despite these criticisms, Thasmeen claimed yesterday that through its coalition with the DQP, his party would not be disrupted in working to hold the government accountable for having “lost credibility”.
The DRP-DQP coalition was formed back in February this year as a means to outline an “action plan” for opposition parties including providing training for councilors that came to power in local council elections held earlier in the month.
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