The Elections Commission (EC) has officially authorised the People’s National Front (PNF), a new political party founded by Zain Abdulla Yameen, the son of former President Abdulla Yameen, to hold its inaugural congress. This decision comes after the PNF successfully submitted the required 3,000 valid membership forms, a prerequisite for the formal registration of political parties in the country.
In November last year, the EC initially gave the green light for the formation of the PNF, with the condition that it gathers sufficient support. Despite a setback in February when some of the submitted membership forms were found invalid, the PNF managed to meet the necessary criteria, paving the way for its official launch.
Mohamed Maleeh Jamal, former Science Minister and key figure in the party’s establishment efforts, expressed optimism about the future of the PNF under the guidance of the Yameen family. “God willing, President Yameen’s work for the sake of the country and the people will continue rapidly,” Jamal stated on social media platform X.
The formation of the People’s National Front signals a pivotal shift in the political landscape of the Maldives, rooted deeply in the discord between the PNF and its predecessor, the Progressive Party of Maldives-People’s National Congress (PPM-PNF) coalition. This split underscores a broader narrative of political rivalry and reconfiguration, reflecting unresolved tensions and diverging visions within the ruling faction.
The schism originated from the divergent paths taken by former President Yameen and the leadership of the PPM-PNF coalition. Yameen’s departure from the coalition to spearhead the formation of the PNF, followed a period of palpable discord with President Dr Mohamed Muizzu, especially after the last presidential election. Yameen’s criticisms of the coalition’s efforts—or lack thereof—to secure his release from imprisonment on charges of bribery and money laundering accentuate the deep fissures within these political factions.
Yameen’s allegations that the coalition’s leadership never genuinely desired his freedom, citing “lackluster” protests for his release, further illuminate the underlying power struggles and personal ambitions that have fragmented the political unity. His assertion that some coalition leaders preferred him behind bars to advance their own political ambitions points to a complex web of loyalties and strategies at play, fundamentally altering the dynamics within the ruling parties.
The emergence of the PNF, therefore, is not merely the introduction of a new political entity but a manifestation of ongoing disputes, ideological divergences, and a quest for political rehabilitation and legacy by the Yameen family. With the EC’s endorsement to hold its inaugural congress, the PNF is poised to challenge the established order, potentially leveraging Abdulla Yameen’s enduring influence and the unresolved grievances within the PPM-PNF to galvanise support and redraw the contours of political allegiance in the Maldives.