H.E. Abdulla Shahid, President of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), delivered a stirring address at the Executive Meeting of the International Democrat Union (IDU) in Brussels today, where he spoke of the Maldives’ deepening democratic crisis and called for international solidarity in the face of rising authoritarianism.
Speaking before party leaders and delegates from across the democratic world, Shahid outlined the Muizzu administration’s rapid dismantling of constitutional checks and balances and warned of a country slipping back into autocracy.
“I speak to you as a witness to a democracy in crisis. A voice from an island nation whose hard-won democratic gains now drown not in rising seas, but in authoritarianism,” Shahid said.
He detailed how the Maldives, once hailed for its democratic resurgence, is now witnessing the rollback of fundamental freedoms. Citing the unlawful dismissal of Supreme Court justices, politicisation of independent institutions, intimidation of journalists, and violent suppression of peaceful protests, Shahid noted that the state is using the language of democracy while stripping it of meaning.
“This is not democracy. This is intimidation in a suit,” he stated.
Shahid also addressed the international forum’s role in supporting democratic resilience, calling on global partners to stand with Maldivians who are resisting democratic backsliding:
“We are not here to mourn democracy’s decline. We fight to reverse it. We believe democracy is not an import,it is a Maldivian right,” Shahid said. “And that belief lives strongest in our youth, who are rising with courage, clarity, and conviction to demand justice and accountability.”
He closed with a direct appeal to support the country’s embattled democratic institutions:
“Support the independence of our judiciary. Support our journalists, who write the truth. Support our youth, who march in peace, not in hate. We will not let democracy drown in the Maldives. We built it once, we’ll build it again.”
The speech was delivered at a pivotal moment as global democratic leaders gathered at the IDU Executive Meeting to address the shared challenges facing democratic societies.

16 May 2025