Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has endorsed former President Mohamed Nasheed for the position of Speaker of Parliament. The nomination was passed unanimously with the vote of 64 members.
Meanwhile, MDP also endorsed Eva Abdulla for the position of Deputy Speaker of Parliament, which was also passed unanimously with 64 votes. The vote was taken in a meeting held ahead of the first meeting of the 19th parliament after establishing an electoral whip line.
Initially, Mohamed Aslam and Hassan Afeef were nominated to the speakership which created a certain unrest within the main ruling party. However, both parliamentarians conceded and nominated former president Mohamed Nasheed in efforts to unite the party.
Speaking to media after the meeting, the former president expressed although accepting the offer was hard and unexpected, he had to accept it upon request of members. The former president assured the new parliament will uphold Islamic principles and work towards fulfilling the pledges.
At the parliamentary elections, MDP secured 65 seats of the parliament from the 87 seats.