In 2016, he was given asylum in the United Kingdom, where he had gone for medical treatment. On 29 June 2018, he renounced his plans to contest the country's presidential elections, citing legal obstacles. He said the Election Commission's decision to reject his victory in a party primary poll was illegal and demanded that the authority be sanctioned. After his party's candidate, Ibrahim Solih, won presidential elections in 2018, Nasheed returned to the Maldives, where he led the MDP to a landslide victories in parliamentary elections the following year, subsequently taking office as Speaker of parliament.