Five Political Parties to Receive State Funding, PNC Gets Largest Share of MVR 27 Million

MV+ News Desk | April 12, 2025
A street in Malé City decorated with flags during election season | Photo: MV+

The Elections Commission of Maldives (ECM) has announced that five political parties are set to receive state funding this year, with the ruling People’s National Congress (PNC) receiving the largest share—slightly over MVR 13 million.

Under the Political Parties Act, the state is mandated to allocate 0.1 percent of the annual state revenue to political parties that have a membership of at least 10,000. In line with this provision, a total of MVR 27,981,256 will be distributed among five eligible parties this year, based on membership figures recorded on 27 November 2024.

The allocation follows the approval of the 2025 state budget, which amounts to MVR 56.6 billion. The five parties that qualify for funding are the ruling PNC, the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), Jumhoory Party (JP), Maldives Development Alliance (MDA), and Adhaalath Party (AP).

According to figures released by the ECM, the distribution of funding is as follows:

PNC: MVR 13,316,689.57

MDP: MVR 8,454,780.51

JP: MVR 2,656,598.57

MDA: MVR 1,769,648.69

AP: MVR 1,713,538.65

The ECM stated that the figures were finalised after deducting outstanding fines. Four of the five parties—excluding the MDP—have outstanding fines related to previous violations. The AP has a fine of MVR 35,000, JP MVR 15,000, while both the PNC and MDA have fines of MVR 10,000 each.

Political parties will receive MVR 193.23 per registered member this year. ECM records show that, as of the end of 2024, the five parties had a combined membership of 144,808. The PNC now holds the highest number of members, totalling 68,968. This marks a substantial increase from the 3,000 members it reportedly had when it assumed power in 2023.

The surge in PNC membership has been accompanied by allegations of fraudulent registration practices. The MDP claimed to have received over 3,000 complaints from individuals who said their names were used without consent, including the use of outdated national ID card photos, and forged signatures and fingerprints.

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