After the opposition, Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP)’s then chairperson Ali Waheed had resigned, the party held ballots to elect another on Friday, which former Minister of Youth and Sports, Hassan Latheef had won. Waheed said he resigned because he would not be able to fulfill his mandate from outside the Maldives, as he is currently in exile in the United Kingdom.

Latheef said he would give unrelenting devotion into revamping the party’s administration and would take a central role in acquiring candidacy for former President Mohamed Nasheed, and winning the 2018 elections for MDP.

“The party’s policies say that the chairperson must dedicate himself first to administrative progress” Latheef said “He must also be on the frontlines in every party action”.

"The only way to revamp hands-on party activity would be to implement reforms to the administrative framework and holding regular committee meetings", Latheef said.

Latheef had travelled to many of the outer lying atolls in preparation for Friday’s elections, and noted that MDP’s presence and activity in the islands had dropped significantly.

“The branches we set up in the islands back in 2005 are almost inactive now” Latheef continued “We must rebuild these branches and get the party going across the nation”.

He further noted that consensus towards President had Abdulla Yameen been poor in the islands.

Latheef stressed on making the upcoming local council elections, now scheduled for April, a priority.

“We must campaign tirelessly for this cause, the government wants us to be disenchanted, to be defeated, we must settle for nothing less than victory” he added.

Well-known for his position in Nasheed’s team of lawyers, Latheef said that the party would work to ensure Nasheed’s candidacy with the support of international actors.

Ballot boxes for the chairperson election were placed in seven locations throughout the capital, every inhabited island in the nation, and even former President Mohamed Nasheed had cast his vote from Colombo, Sri Lanka.