Elections Commission of the Maldives (ECM) has stated over USD 714,000 have been released for political parties this year.
Speaking to PSM News, President of ECM Ahmed Shareef said funds allocated for political parties are released in two rounds. As such, he added funds were disbursed to parties earlier this year, and funds have been given within last week as well.
Shareef said USD 376,600 was given to Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), USD 253,200 to Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) and USD 84,400 to Jumhooree Party (JP). He noted half of the funds allocated for political parties have not been released yet, adding the funds will be issued when released by Ministry of Finance.
The Political Parties Act states a total of 0.1% to 0.2% State Budget for each year should be allocated to political parties. This year, USD 2.2 million has been allocated in the State Budget for political parties.
The funds are allocated depending on the membership of the party. According to Political Parties Act, parties with more than 10,000 members are eligible for funds from the state.