Witness presence not required for party signing, Ihsan says

Home Minister Ali Ihsan informed Parliament on Wednesday that witnesses are not required to sign political party membership forms in the presence of the individuals filling them out.

The minister was summoned to Parliament today to respond to questions regarding allegations that membership forms for the ruling People's National Congress (PNC) were being filled out in the meeting room of the Department of National Registration (DNR).

During an earlier no-confidence motion raised by the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), Minister Ihsan had acknowledged signing several forms as a witness. On Wednesday, MDP members questioned whether employees of the Home Ministry had acted as witnesses without the presence of the individuals submitting the forms.

In response, Ihsan stated that the standard procedure for political party membership is for a witness to confirm the information on the form. He clarified that the witness’s signature does not require the presence of the form’s owner at the time of signing.

“The witness is signing to attest to the accuracy of the information. It is not necessary for the person submitting the form to be present at that time,” he said.

Kendhoo MP Mauroof Zakir referenced the affidavit section on the membership form, which includes a statement that the application was signed in the presence of the witness. In reply, Ihsan clarified that while the applicant must sign in front of a party representative, the witness may complete their section of the form at a later time.

“When someone signs to join a political party, that act must be witnessed. However, the witness can later complete their portion without the presence of the applicant,” Ihsan said.

Social media posts have circulated with images of forms alleged to show signatures of the Deputy Minister of Home Affairs in charge of the DNR, raising concerns about possible misuse. Ihsan denied these allegations, stating he had not signed any PNC membership forms in his capacity as a witness and believed the images circulating online to be falsified.

Despite the opposition's no-confidence motion, which was debated in Parliament with Ihsan present, the government-majority Parliament voted in favour of the minister.

The PNC is currently undertaking a membership campaign with the goal of reaching 75,000 members. A significant number of forms have already been submitted to and processed by the Elections Commission.

Among the forms submitted were applications from members of the MDP National Assembly, including Vikaradhoo MP Hussain Ziyad.