EC to finalise party funding after membership verification

Elections Commission (EC) on Monday announced that the allocation of state funding for political parties will be determined after verifying membership registers amid concerns over forged and inaccurate membership forms, particularly within submissions by the ruling PNC.

Instances of individuals being unknowingly included in party memberships have been identified. The issue has largely been noted in recent forms submitted by the PNC during its campaign to reach 75,000 members. The PNC has not issued an official statement regarding the matter.

Under the constitution, 0.1% of the state’s annual budget is allocated to political parties with a membership of at least 10,000. The funds are distributed proportionally based on membership figures.

When the annual budget was passed, the EC announced that five parties met the eligibility criteria for state funding. The final amounts to be allocated were initially set to be determined after processing party applications by December 31 of the previous year.

EC member and spokesperson Hassan Zakariyya stated that the commission intends to verify party membership records thoroughly before finalising the allocations.

"The commission plans to complete the verification of applications submitted by December 31, address any public complaints about party registers, and then proceed with the funding process," he said.

The five eligible parties include:

The MDP remains the largest party, with over 50,000 members. However, based on recent form submissions, the PNC is projected to have the highest membership count as of the last update.