The Elections Commission (EC) has announced plans to publicize the political party registry with forms processed through the end of December 2023 and open it for public complaints. This decision follows growing concerns over the submission of invalid membership forms by political parties.
EC member Hassan Zakariyya explained that the move aims to address the persistent issue of invalid forms, which has been a contentious topic. "We had publicized the registry last year too with forms received until the end of 2023. EC started doing this because the issue of invalid forms grew serious," he said.
The controversy intensified with allegations that the People’s National Congress (PNC) submitted a significant number of invalid forms to boost membership. PNC’s PG Leader, Ibrahim Falah, has accused the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) of intentionally submitting fake forms under PNC's name to create internal discord.
Zakariyya confirmed that the EC is currently processing forms received until the end of December and expects to complete the work next week. Once finalized, the updated registry will be published, and a period for complaints will be opened.
In response to the issue, the EC has temporarily suspended the Simedha Portal, which facilitates member registration, and halted new party memberships.
The EC's initiative reflects an effort to bring transparency and integrity to the political party registration process amidst allegations and counterclaims.