Former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has informed senior officials of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) that he will contest in the 2028 Presidential Election, seeking a second term in office. His announcement comes just hours ahead of Former President Mohamed Nasheed’s formal return to MDP, scheduled for Monday evening.

Nasheed, who also intends to run in the 2028 election, will rejoin the party after leaving it in 2023 to form The Democrats, following a widely publicised fallout with Solih.

President Solih, who lost the 2023 election to current President Dr Mohamed Muizzu, had previously contested with the backing of Nasheed in 2018. That alliance played a key role in Solih's landslide victory. During Solih’s presidency, Nasheed served as Speaker of Parliament until the rift between the two leaders led to his departure from the MDP.

In the 2023 election, The Democrats chose to remain neutral but were openly critical of Solih and the MDP. Many within the MDP continue to blame Nasheed for the party’s defeat in that election.

With both leaders now set to compete in the MDP primary for the party’s 2028 presidential ticket, the contest is expected to reshape internal dynamics and revive old rivalries within the country’s largest political party.