PA membership drops to less than 3000

The EC recently sent a bill to parliament that if passed, will mean any political party which does not have a minimum of 3000 members will dissolves by default.

The EC report, published on May 20, indicates that the PA now has 2986 members, 35 less than the previous report published on May 13.

President of the EC Fuad Thaufeeq said that after the bill is passed any political party with a membership of less than 3000 would be given a period of one year before it was disbanded.

He said that he did not know when the bill would be passed and implemented.

PA Registrar Mohamed Rasheed said the party had sent 250 membership forms to the EC which would take the membership number above 3000.

”We focus to maintain the membership at least at 3000,” Rasheed said. ”As we are in a coalition with the DRP we don’t do much work to increase the number of members.”

Rasheed said that people have always been resigning and joining the party.

”400 people may resign within a week,” he said, ”another week 800 people may join.”

The Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP), led by Ahmed Thasmeen Ali, has the highest amount of members according to the EC report, ahead of the Maldivian Democratic Party MDP by 2036 members.

The DRP hada  total of 38,254 on the last report, which was 191 members less than the previous report.

MDP had 36,218 members in it, 1185 members more than the previous report.

The Jumhoory Party lead by Gasim ‘Buruma’ Ibrahim was the third largest political party with 6204 members.