The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has strongly condemned actions by the People’s National Party (PNC) over what it termed as the abuse of state property and resources to add members to the administration-aligned party.
“We are concerned that government agencies, as well as companies, are working to increase the number of PNC members by utilising state resources and [other] resources at the behest of President Mohamed Muizzu,” the main opposition party said in a statement released on Sunday.
The MDP has documented and is recording several complaints of the PNC-led administration—not unlike what the Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM) had done during its time in government—applying undue influence on those working at state agencies and companies, the party said in its statement. It is unacceptable for anyone to be forced to join the PNC through job threats, the MDP said.
The drive to turn more members to the PNC was being run out of state institutions, using state resources, the statement read.
The MDP’s statement called on the Election Commission to take immediate legal action against those abusing personal information stored at state institutions to generate forms for the ruling PNC party with a view towards inflating its membership. The relevant state institutions should investigate cases of people being registered as members of the PNC with forged signatures and documentation, the party said.