Political parties unite in condemning elections commission

Five of the six registered political parties in the Maldives have united in condemning the elections commission’s refusal to disburse public funding.

The commission had cited what it called a leadership vacuum in some parties and mismanagement in others in postponing the release of funds allocated for political parties in the state budget.

The ruling Progressive Party of the Maldives, the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party and its allies, the Adhaalath Party and the Jumhooree Party, and the non-aligned Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party issued an unprecedented joint statement on Thursday, accusing the national electoral body of flouting the constitution.

This is the first time the PPM and the MDP have shown a united front on a political issue.