The government has disbursed a total of USD 1.75 million in state funding to five political parties that met the legally stipulated membership requirements, has completed the disbursement the Election Commission of Maldives (ECM) has said.
The funds, earmarked from this year's state budget, were deposited to the respective party bank accounts last month, as confirmed by the Ministry of Finance and Planning on 27 October, ECM said.
Out of the nine political parties currently registered with the ECM, five were deemed eligible for the allocation, having reached the minimum threshold of 10,000 members by the date of approval of this year's budget.
These parties include the ruling People’s National Congress (PNC), the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), Jumhooree Party (JP), the Maldives Development Alliance (MDA), and the Adhaalath Party (AP).
PNC which boasts the highest membership with 68,665 members as of 30 June this year, received the largest share of USD 863,598. MDP with 43,765 members, secured the second-largest allocation of USD 548,299. JP received USD 172,282 based on its 13,456 members. MDA with 9,011 members, was allocated USD 114,763 the Adhaalath Party with 8,844 members, received USD 111,124. It is understood that MDA and Adhaalath Party had met the 10,000-member criterion at the time of budget approval, despite their current reported figures.
According to the Political Parties Act, funds allocated from the state budget for the operation of political parties constitute 0.1 percent of the state's estimated annual revenue. For this distribution, eligible parties with 10,000 members on their register by 31 December 2024, are paid USD 12.53 per head, proportional to their member count.
The ECM currently oversees nine registered political parties, with the Maldives Third-way Democrats (MTD) notably undergoing dissolution due to insufficient membership.