Elections Commission of the Maldives (ECM) has registered The Democrats in the registry of political parties.
In May, supporters of Speaker of Parliament Mohamed Nasheed left the main ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) and applied to form The Democrats with 3,560 membership applications. The Democrats stated that it is determined to expand its membership base and field a presidential candidate for the upcoming election.
The Democrats convened its inaugural meeting on July 5, during which, members prepared documents to register the party. The members also approved the official colors, logo, and regulations of the party.
ECM stated that The Democrats has completed the required procedures to register the party. The electoral body has handed over the party registry to Founder Hassan Latheef.
The Maldives now consists of 10 registered political parties with most parties inactive. The only parties which have more than 10,000 members are the MDP, Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), Jumhooree Party (JP), the Maldives Development Alliance (MDA), the Maldives National Party (MNP), and Adhaalath Party (AP).