Maumoon’s third party MRM dissolved over low membership
The party is no longer listed among the registered political parties on the commission’s website.
The Maldives Reform Movement (MRM), the third political party founded by former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, has been officially dissolved and removed from the Elections Commission's (EC) register.
The dissolution comes after MRM failed to meet the membership criteria set by the Political Parties Act. According to the law, a political party in the Maldives must have at least 3,000 members to remain registered. However, as of June last year, MRM had only 1,867 registered members—a decline from 2,200 members the previous year.
This is not the first time the EC moved to dissolve MRM. In 2023, the commission attempted to revoke the party’s registration, but the Civil Court overturned the decision, citing improper processing of membership applications. However, MRM failed to meet the legal requirements within the deadline, leading to its official dissolution.
The removal of MRM marks another chapter in the decline of political parties formed by Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who ruled the Maldives for three decades. Two of the three parties he established have now been dissolved.
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The Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP), Maumoon’s first political party, was dissolved on March 15, 2023.
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The Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), another party linked to Maumoon, is also facing dissolution. The Senate has approved its removal, and the process is ongoing in coordination with the EC.
