The Election Commission of Maldives (ECM) has officially requested the Ministry of Finance to allocate funds from the state budget to four eligible political parties.
According to ECM's Secretary General, Hassan Zakariyya, out of the six parties qualified for state funds, requests were made for the Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM), Jumhooree Party, Adhaalath Party, and Maldives Development Alliance (MDA). However, the request for the People's National Congress (PNC) was withheld due to pending account details. Additionally, the request for the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) was delayed due to incomplete examination of its annual report, which was submitted recently. Zakariyya assured that the examination process will conclude soon, after which the request for MDP's funds will be forwarded.
The Political Parties Act mandates the distribution of 0.01% of the state budget to registered political parties with a membership of at least 10,000. ECM confirmed that six parties meet this criterion based on the state budget for 2024. These parties include MDP, PPM, Jumhooree Party, Adhaalath Party, MDA, and PNC. Consequently, ECM plans to distribute a total of USD 2.9 million among these eligible parties.
The breakdown of allocated funds is as follows:
Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP): USD 979,248
Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM): USD 674,449
Jumhooree Party: USD 343,709
Maldives Development Alliance (MDA): USD 155,642
People's National Congress (PNC): USD 518,807
Adhaalath Party: USD 162,127
ECM revealed the distribution rate and total membership figures used to allocate state funds to political parties. The funds were distributed at a rate of USD 18.8 per member, with a total of 152,266 members benefiting from the allocation, according to ECM.