The Elections Commission of the Maldives (ECM) has decided to postpone allowing the formation of The Democrats.
ECM stated that it has decided not to allow the formation of the party until all stages of verifying the applications are completed, noting that meetings to register and form the party are separate stages. The electoral body stated that two of the members voted to allow the formation of the party while the other two voted to wait until all the applications are verified. President of ECM Fuad Thaufeeq responded to accusations of being influenced by affirming his commitment to serving independently.
Supporters of Speaker of Parliament Mohamed Nasheed left the main ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) and applied to form The Democrats in May and later submitted 3,560 applications to register the party. The Democrats stated that it is determined to expand its membership base and field a presidential candidate for the upcoming election.
On May 18, the President of MDP Nasheed announced his decision to form a new political party. Nasheed initiated a separate political movement within the party called Fikuregge Dhirun following his loss in the presidential primary in January. In addition, the lawmakers from the faction tendered their resignation from MDP after Parliamentarian Ali Azim was expelled from the party and banned from rejoining for at least one year over his involvement in opposition political activities surrounding the Chagos Islands dispute.