MRM files forms to meet 3,000-member requirement
Habeeb said MRM members have dwindled even after the number of party members was made public.
By
Ahmed Mizyal
Maldives Reform Movement (MRM) has once again submitted membership applications to the Election Commission to reach 3,000 members.
The party announced in a tweet by MRM Registrar Fathimath Shaheeda that it had submitted its nomination to meet the number of 3,000 people prescribed in the law.
"The MRM has completed 3,000 members and today it will be filing nomination papers for the election," she said.
When the EC released the number of members in the parties on February 21, the MRM had 2,981 members. On Wednesday, a notice was sent to MRM to dissolve the party as it did not meet the number of members required in the law.
EC Vice-President Ismail Habeeb told Atoll Times that 28 forms submitted by MRM have been received.
According to him:
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On Sunday, the forms will be submitted for complaints and will be made public on the website and SMS will be sent to the owners of the forms (to confirm that they have applied)
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The EC will also verify the authenticity of the forms by examining ID card details, fingerprints, photographs and other relevant data
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The deadline for this will end on Sunday next week and the authenticity of the forms will be confirmed on Monday of that week.
Habeeb said MRM members have dwindled even after the number of party members was made public.
"So, there will be no 2,981 people in MRM now. It will be less than that," he said.
It is not clear whether the forms submitted this Monday will cover 3,000 members.
The Election Commission in March this year issued a three-month notice to four parties, including MRM, for failing to meet the 3,000 people mandated by the law. During the given period, MRM has completed 3,000 members.
As per the information released by the Election Commission, the MRM had the same number of members till November 22, 2022. However, by the end of the year, the party's strength had come down to 2,993.
