The ruling People’s National Congress (PNC) has opened submissions for disputes regarding discrepancies in its membership list, allowing concerns to be raised until April 13, 2025. This follows the discovery of multiple fraudulent membership forms submitted during the party’s recent recruitment drive.

PNC acknowledged the presence of invalid forms and committed to investigating the matter. The issue sparked widespread criticism, prompting the Elections Commission (EC) to also accept complaints regarding membership irregularities.

In its announcement, PNC stated that complaints about membership were received after the drive, and the party has been reviewing them since opening submissions on January 13. The party urged individuals with concerns to report them to PNC’s main office or island steering committees for resolution.

Following these developments, President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu directed the party to further strengthen its administrative framework to ensure the integrity of its membership registry.

The fraudulent membership issue has also been referred to the Maldives Police Service and the Elections Commission for investigation, with PNC pledging full cooperation in both probes.

According to the Elections Commission, 300 cases of invalid membership registrations have been reported in the past six months. The controversy gained attention after MP Hussain Ziyad, an MDP ticket holder, was allegedly registered with PNC without his knowledge.

Despite the controversy, Elections Commission data shows that PNC remains the largest party in the country, with over 68,900 registered members.