News Desk
MALE’, Maldives — The ruling People’s National Congress (PNC) is on track to surpass 75,000 members as it prepares for the upcoming local council election primaries, party officials said Wednesday.
Ibrahim Falah, the party’s parliamentary group leader, told reporters that membership has already reached 70,000 and continues to grow. Thousands of application forms are awaiting submission to the Election Commission, he added.
Falah said the surge reflects strong public support for President Dr. Mohammed Muizzu’s policies. “The people are rallying behind the president’s vision,” he noted, predicting the rolls will cross 75,000 in the coming days.
The PNC, one of nine registered political parties in the Maldives, has expanded dramatically since President Muizzu assumed leadership six years ago, when it counted just 3,000 members. Its rise to nearly 75,000 underscores its transformation into the country’s largest political organization.
Under the Political Parties Act, parties with at least 10,000 members are entitled to between 0.1 and 0.2 percent of the state budget annually, distributed proportionally by membership size. This year’s budget allocated 27 million rufiyaa to political parties. The PNC received 13.31 million rufiyaa, the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) 8.45 million, the Jumhooree Party (JDP) 2.65 million, and the Maldives Development Alliance (MDA) 1.7 million.
The Adalat Party, once eligible for funding, has seen its membership fall to 8,844, disqualifying it under the law. Other smaller parties — including the Maldives Labor and Democratic Party (1,874 members), the Maldives National Party (5,836), The Democrats (3,547), and the People’s National Front (3,046) — also remain below the threshold.
The Election Commission said payments to qualifying parties have already been processed and deposited. Beginning in January, members who wish to leave political parties will be able to do so immediately through a new online portal.
The PNC’s rapid growth, coupled with its dominant share of state funding, positions it as the most powerful force heading into the council elections, where grassroots mobilization is expected to play a decisive role.
