MDP Leadership and Foreign Relations Committee Delegation Brief EU Diplomats on Deteriorating Political Situation in the Maldives under President Muizzu

Maldivian Democratic Party officials including, Party Chairperson Fayyaz Ismail, Party President, Mr Abdulla Shahid, MP Meekail Naseem and Foreign Relations Committee member Hussain Shaheem were in Colombo, Sri Lanka this morning to meet with resident and accredited Ambassadors and Representatives of the European Union to the Maldives.

The delegation briefed the EU Heads of Missions on the deteriorating political and governance situation in the Maldives under President Muizzu, detailing the current administration’s blatant overreach and political interference in independent institutions, serious allegations of corruption and mismanagement, suppression of media and free expression through the media control bill and erratic and irresponsible shifts in foreign and domestic policy.

The MDP reminded the EU representatives of the long road to reform and democracy the Maldives undertook and the fight to secure through legislation the independence of oversight bodies and freedom of the press. Both Chairperson Fayyaz Ismail and Party President Abdulla Shahid underscored that these democratic norms are now rapidly being reversed and eroded.

The European Union has over half a million tourists visiting the Maldives every year and a strong economic and cultural relationship with the Maldives. It is in the interest of all concerned to ensure that the Maldives does not backslide into further autocracy. The MDP thanks the EU Heads of Mission for their consistent solidarity in maintaining democratic values in the Maldives.