President says PNC membership has surpassed 80,000

President Mohamed Muizzu has said the ruling People’s National Congress (PNC) now has more than 80,000 members and that he expects its membership to surpass 100,000.

Muizzu made the remarks on Friday night during the closing session of the PNC Congress, where he was formally presented with the party’s presidential ticket to seek a second term in the 2028 election.

Speaking after receiving the ticket, Muizzu said the PNC had around 1,000 members two years ago but that its membership had reached 80,083 by Thursday night.

He attributed the increase to the party’s continued membership drive.

“We continued without stopping, at full speed, and as of tonight we have 80,083 members. I praise Allah and thank everyone who took part in this work,” Muizzu said.

The President said the increase in membership provided encouragement for the party’s work and indicated that those joining the PNC accepted its political philosophy, which he described as putting the nation first.

He thanked the 80,083 people who had joined the party, saying they had accepted its policies and joined its efforts towards what he described as ensuring the country’s security and stability.

Muizzu said he expected the party’s membership to continue increasing.

“God willing, I believe that as we continue to grow, we can go beyond 100,000. I also thank in advance everyone who is preparing to join,” he said.

The membership figure announced by Muizzu is higher than the latest figure published by the Elections Commission (EC).

According to the EC’s political parties registry, the PNC had 67,579 registered members as of the end of June. If the figure announced by Muizzu is reflected in subsequent EC records, it would represent an increase of more than 12,000 members in less than three months.

The increase in PNC membership has come amid allegations that some government employees and their family members have been pressured to join the ruling party. There have also been complaints that employees who support opposition parties are being dismissed from government positions.

The government and the PNC have rejected similar allegations of political pressure in the past.

The PNC is currently the largest registered political party in the Maldives, according to the EC’s latest published figures.