President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has conveyed condolences over the death of Mohamed Latheef, the co-founder of Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).
In a tweet, President Solih said he received word of Latheef’s death with deep sadness, and noted that Latheef had worked tirelessly to bring democracy to the Maldives. The president conveyed his condolences to Latheef’s family and prayed that he receive eternal peace.
Latheef succumbed to illness on July 3 while residing in Sri Lanka. Senior members of MDP and political activists who had worked with him have also conveyed their condolences following his death. As such, Chairperson of MDP Fayyaz Ismail highlighted the courageous and invaluable contributions Latheef had made, noting that he had played an important role in forming the main ruling party and establishing the principles of human rights in the Maldives.
Latheef had worked to establish democracy and a multi-party political system in the Maldives, and played an important role in forming MDP. He was elected as a parliamentarian in 1989 and was the ambassador of human rights during former President Mohamed Nasheed’s administration. He was politically inactive during the past few years, and resided in neighbouring Sri Lanka with his family.