Ministry of Finance has deposited funds from the state to all political parties except the main opposition party, Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM). The ministry revealed as per the request from Elections Commission of Maldives (ECM), funds were deposited within 7 working days.
The state has allocated close to USD 1.7 million for all political parties with a membership of at least 10,000, as per the Political Party Act. In this regard, along with PPM, the main ruling party, Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), Jumhoory Party (JP) and Maldivian Development Alliance (MDA) are subject to funds from the state. MDP is subject to largest portion, which is USD 825,503, while JP and MDA has been allocated USD 133,381 and USD 131,555 respectively.
Furthermore, PPM has been allocated USD 607,166. However, as the finance ministry has not received the necessary documents from ECM, funds have not yet been released to PPM.
Previously, ECM had revealed MDP would be fined USD 6,151 and PPM would be fined USD 3,885 for breaches in utilising party funds. The fines would be deducted from the funds before the deposit, according to ECM.