The Elections Commission of the Maldives (ECM) has begun the process of dissolving the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) for not meeting the number of members required by the law. ECM has given DRP several chances to gain 3,000 signatures as required by the Political Parties Act.
President of ECM Fuwad Thowfeeq said DRP has been sent a notice on July 25, to gain 3,000 members as required by law. He said the three-month deadline for the DRP expired in October this year. He, however, said the party has not reached the number of members required to operate as a political party. He noted some legal matters are being looked into since DRP also has debt issues, adding discussions are underway to identify how to dissolve the party legally and solve the debt issues.
The current leader of the DRP is Parliamentarian Abdulla Jabir. DRP is one of the first registered parties in the country and was founded by former President Maumoon Abdul Gayyoom. DRP split and members switched to other parties when the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) was formed due to differences of opinion in the party's leadership.
DRP has 2,681 members, according to the political party register. There are 11 political parties on the register, most of which have less than 10,000 members. The law states that 3,000 members are needed for a party to be included in the electoral register. Meanwhile, political parties with 10,000 members receive funds from the state budget.