The Elections Commission of the Maldives (ECM) has requested the Ministry of Finance to distribute USD2.4 million among five political parties eligible to receive state funds under the Political Parties Act.
The Political Parties Act states that 0.01% of the state budget is allocated to parties that have a membership of over 10,000. The parties which have more than 10,000 members are the main ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), the main opposition Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), Jumhooree Party (JP), the Maldives Development Alliance (MDA), the Maldives National Party (MNP) and Adhaalath Party (AP).
However, the President of ECM Fuad Thaufeeq said the electoral body did not request the finance ministry to release funds to MNP, as the party is yet to clarify certain information. The electoral body allocates the funds once the parties submit their audit report and annual report.
As of December 2022, MDP has 57,529 members, PPM has 38,632 members, JP has 22,993 members, MDA has 10,488 members, MNP has 9,937 members and AP has 9,765. Therefore, MDP would receive USD921,000, PPM receives USD618,000, JP receives USD368,000, MDA receives USD168,000, MNP receives USD157,000 and AP receives USD156,000.