The ruling People’s National Congress (PNC) has added more than 5,000 new members over the past six months, strengthening its position as the largest political party in the Maldives.
According to membership statistics released by the Elections Commission (EC) on Saturday evening, the PNC now has 74,048 members. On June 29 last year, the party had 68,665 members, meaning its membership has grown by 5,383 during the period.
The EC’s latest figures also show slight increases for the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) and Maldives Development Alliance (MDA). The MDP’s membership rose from 43,765 to 43,784, while the MDA increased from 9,011 to 9,686 members.
In contrast, several other parties have seen declines since June 29:
Adhaalath Party: 8,267 members (down 577)  
Jumhoory Party: 12,343 members (down 1,113)  
Maldives National Party: 5,133 members (down 703)  
People’s National Front: 3,012 members (down 34)
2025 ޑިސެންބަރު 31 ނިޔަލަށް ސިޔާސީ ޕާޓީތަކުގައި ތިބި މެންބަރުންގެ ޢަދަދުތައް pic.twitter.com/0C5S73Sr0w
— Elections Commission (@ElectionsMv) January 3, 2026
The Democrats, which have not been formally dissolved despite former President Mohamed Nasheed and many of his supporters returning to the MDP, also saw a drop. The party had 3,547 members as of June 30 last year and now has 2,952.
The PPM, which previously held the largest membership base, was dissolved in late January last year, after which the PNC intensified efforts to expand its membership. The party has publicly stated its goal of reaching 100,000 members.
However, the rapid growth has come amid concerns over irregularities in party membership processes. Over the past year, allegations of individuals being registered without consent have increased. One incident involved photos circulating on social media showing a civil servant filling out PNC membership forms inside the DNR office building.
The PNC later acknowledged that some invalid forms had been submitted, saying the issue stemmed from an inability to verify authenticity at the time. Home Minister Ali Ihusaan said in April that the DNR database had not been used to influence people to join the party.