PNC Becomes Largest Political Party in the Maldives Amid Allegations of Fraudulent Membership Forms

The People’s National Congress (PNC) has overtaken the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) to become the largest political party in the Maldives, with nearly 69,000 members as of the end of 2024. 

However, this surge in membership has been accompanied by allegations that the party used fraudulent methods to inflate its numbers.

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According to data released by the Elections Commission of Maldives (ECM) on Thursday, the PNC’s membership rose dramatically from around 28,000 in late September to 68,968 by December 31. This increase of approximately 40,000 members over three months has placed the PNC well ahead of the MDP, whose membership dropped to 43,755.

While the PNC has seen significant growth, other political parties have experienced a decline in membership. The Maldives Reform Movement (MRM), which is in the process of dissolution, currently has 1,826 members.

Under Maldivian law, political parties must maintain a minimum membership of 3,000 to remain registered. Parties with over 10,000 members are eligible for state funding, which is allocated based on membership numbers.

The rapid rise in the PNC’s membership has raised concerns, with allegations surfacing that the party submitted fake membership forms to boost its numbers and secure more state funding.

The MDP has reported receiving complaints from over 3,000 individuals who claim their names were added to the PNC’s registry using old national ID card photos, forged signatures, and falsified fingerprints. A police case has been filed to investigate these claims.

In addition, a corruption case has been submitted to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) after photos emerged showing senior government officials filling out PNC membership forms in a meeting room at the Department of National Registration (DNR).

The PNC has acknowledged submitting unverified membership forms but denied deliberate wrongdoing, citing a lack of capacity to verify the forms properly.

The Elections Commission has suspended the membership verification process while it investigates the issue. To prevent future irregularities, the ECM plans to digitalise the political party membership process. The new system will require individuals to apply for membership exclusively through eFaas, a digital identity platform, to eliminate the possibility of fraudulent forms.

The ECM has stated that digitalisation will ensure transparency and accuracy in party membership registrations, addressing concerns raised by recent allegations.