The Elections Commission of the Maldives (ECM) has fined seven political parties that failed to submit their financial reports before the deadline.
ECM issued a USD1,300 fine to each party. The parties are Adhaalath Party (AP), Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP), Maldives National Party (MNP), Maldives Reform Movement (MRM), People’s National Congress (PNC), Maldives Labour and Social Democratic Party (MLSDP), and Maldives Third-Way Democrats (MTD).
The Political Parties Act dictates that every registered party is required to submit their financial report to ECM. Four of the 11 registered parties submitted their financial report. They are the main ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), the main opposition Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), the Maldives Development Alliance (MDA), and the Jumhooree Party (JP).
ECM has the authority to review the financial reports of political parties and issue fines to parties that are found to have illegally received funding or assets. The electoral body can also issue fines between USD1,300-3,300 to parties that fail to formulate or submit their financial report.