Parliament Confirms PNC as Minority Party
Photo: People’s Majlis
The Parliament confirmed the People’s National Congress (PNC) as the minority party today, following the departure of several MPs from the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) to join PNC at the close of last year.
Thirteen MPs from the MDP switched allegiance to the PNC on December 28, as announced by Speaker Mohamed Aslam during an extraordinary sitting on Sunday morning. The Elections Commission of Maldives (ECM) had formally informed the Parliament of this party switch.
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With this development, the PNC now holds 14 seats in Parliament, replacing the Democrats, which previously held 13 seats, as the minority party. Aslam also declared Moosa Siraj, the MP for Fonadhoo, as the new minority leader in Parliament, representing the PNC.
Additionally, the PNC’s coalition partner, the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), currently holds two seats in Parliament.
Following the initial defection of the 13 MDP MPs in December, another MP, Hassan Mohamed (Hassantay) of Inguraidhoo, joined the PNC in early January.
