He established the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) in 2005 after giving his consent legalizing political parties in Maldives. His disputes with the party leader at the time, Ahmed Thasmeen Ali, led to him leaving and establishing the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) in October 2011. Nonetheless, Maumoon left the PPM in 2017 over a dispute over its leadership with his estranged half-brother, former president Abdulla Yameen.