News Desk
MALÉ — The Elections Commission of the Maldives (ECM) has penalized three major political parties for failing to submit their annual financial statements and audit reports within the legally mandated timeframe.
According to ECM member and spokesperson Hassan Zakariyya, the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), the Maldives National Party (MNP), and the Adhaalath Party have all faced disciplinary action. Both the MNP and the Adhaalath Party failed to submit their statements entirely, while the opposition MDP filed its accounts roughly a week past the May 20 deadline, which marks the close of the first 90 days of the year.
The electoral watchdog confirmed that all non-compliant parties have been fined 50,000 rufiyaa.
Financial filings for the previous year shed light on the funding structures of the nation’s dominant political outfits. The ruling People’s National Congress (PNC), which successfully submitted its reports by the May deadline alongside the Jumhooree Party (JP) and the Maldives Development Alliance (MDA), reported a total annual income of 14.1 million rufiyaa for 2025. Of that sum, 13.3 million rufiyaa came directly from state allocations distributed by the Election Commission, while 842,000 rufiyaa was raised through private donations.
Meanwhile, financial disclosures show that the PNC and the MDP incurred the highest expenditures among all political organizations. The MDP reported an income of 9.5 million rufiyaa for 2025, with state funding accounting for 8.4 million rufiyaa of the total. The opposition party brought in approximately one million rufiyaa in individual donations, alongside 57,095 rufiyaa in corporate contributions.
