MP Mohamed Musthafa has said that he was elected into parliament as a member of the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party and will therefore leave it as one too.

Musthafa, who had defected to the ruling party but since realigned himself with the opposition, said this in response to the Supreme Court ruling in favour of imposing a floor-crossing ban that disqualifies parliamentarians who have switched parties.

“I was elected a member of the Maldivian Democratic Party and I will return to it” MP Musthafa said in a tweet.

Musthafa, who joined the Progressive Party of Maldives in 2014 but aligned with himself with the opposition after the party split into two opposition factions in 2016.

He has since said that he works for the party on a ‘contract basis’.