Police accept PNF complaint over alleged removal of members without consent

Police have accepted a complaint filed by former President Abdulla Yameen’s People’s National Front (PNF) alleging that members have been removed from the party without their knowledge and their identity card information used without authorisation.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the PNF said a large number of people registered as members of the party had been removed without their knowledge and transferred to other political parties.

The party said it had submitted the matter to police seeking a criminal investigation into Elections Commission President Mohamed Shakeel.

The allegations have not been independently established, and the Elections Commission’s response to the claims was not included in the PNF statement.

According to the PNF, the alleged actions involved the unauthorised use of members’ personal information and documents and infringed on their constitutional right to participate in political activities.

The party described the alleged use of identity card information as “identity theft” and called for the matter to be investigated as a criminal offence.

The PNF alleged that members had been removed without their consent through forged signatures and misleading procedures.

The party said such actions were unacceptable and maintained that changes to a person’s political party membership should not be made without their consent.

The PNF said the Elections Commission has primary responsibility for maintaining political party registers and ensuring that elections and political activities are administered fairly.

It claimed that if such acts had occurred through negligence or involvement by the commission’s leadership, it would pose a risk to the country’s democratic system.

The party said it would pursue all legal avenues available to protect the rights of its members.

Under procedures introduced by the Elections Commission from the beginning of this year, political parties are required to manage membership registrations and removals through the eFaas system. Individuals can also submit requests to withdraw from political parties through the commission’s system.