Ameer jibes The Democrats for low form submissions

Finance minister Ibrahim Ameer on Thursday criticised The Democrats after the new breakaway party led by speaker Mohamed Nasheed submitted 3,560 forms to the Elections Commission (EC) for party registration. 

Several members in government positions, including Ameer, have been criticising the numbers for being low.

Referring to Nasheed's 95,000 votes received in 2013, Ameer said that history testifies to the fact that going to the polls with MDP will yield the same number of votes in the first round.

Ameer, who has never made such political tweets before, wrote that Nasheed's support has dropped to 3,500, having defected from the ruling party.

"History proves that if you go out with MDP, you take 95,000 votes in the first round as well, but the reality is that the number has come down to 3,500 when you come out on your own," Ameer said in a tweet.

According to the Political Parties Act, at least 3,000 members are required to register a political party.

Speaking to reporters after handing over the forms to the Election Commission, MP from Henveiru West Constituency Hassan Latheef said that the target as the number of forms submitted to form the party was 3,500 and he was satisfied with the figures.

"The form is also different now. Apart from the thumb print, you need to submit pictures as well. All this was done and our internal verification process was conducted and today the forms[s] were submitted," Hassan said in response to a question on the number of forms.

"I believe it is a good number and a great response, those 3,500 forms that we received. These are the 3,500 people who participated in the formation of the party. We didn't have a membership drive."

Hassan said the current target is to reach 10,000 members by the time the election campaign begins and goes to the polls.