Former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, still the leader of the ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) has dismissed his half-brother incumbent President Abdulla Yameen’s faction of the party’s attempt to remove him from the party.

• PPM has been divided into two factions since June 2016.

Earlier on Sunday, President Yameen’s faction of the party held a council meeting, where it voted to remove the party leader and founder and sent the matter to the ethics committee, which Maumoon had previously dismissed.

READ MORE: PPM votes to remove its founder

The resolution, submitted by Inguraidhoo MP Ibrahim Falaah, and passed with the votes of all members present.

In a tweet sent out on Sunday evening, the former President dismissed the attempt, saying that a “Daarubaaru” faction “has not legal standing and cannot dismiss members from PPM”. Dharubaaru translates to “formal gathering” and initially after the dispute began, President Yameen’s faction had held its conferences and such at “Dhaarubaaruge”, before opening up a new PPM head office, just a few blocks from the previous one.

“With the Grace of Allah, I will continue to be a member of PPM and its sole elected president and leader,” he said in a second tweet.

The work to remove former President Maumoon was started a day after the Inguraidhoo MP, on Saturday, announced that the party will carry out the necessary work to remove Maumoon as party leader.

Falah, speaking at the press conference held by PPM and its coalition partner Maldives Development Alliance (MDA) on Saturday, said that the only reason Maumoon remained at the post “is due to the immense support” President Yameen has for him.

He added that Maumoon “will not remain as party leader,” if the party’s parliamentary group wished to do so.

In October 2016, Civil Court ordered to handover the party’s control to President Yameen, PPM’s chief advisor. The Court ruling was upheld by High Court.

The PPM’s official head office has since been changed to the head office of PPM leader, with Yameen’s faction opening a new office a few blocks away.

Former President Maumoon was elected the leader of PPM in a congress meeting in 2013. If he is removed from the party registry, he will lose the post.