Although the political party was initially formed in 2019, following Maumoon’s departure from the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), the newly founded MRM faced the issue of not reaching the requirements by 2022.
The Maldives Journal
2023 saw the making and breaking of several political parties in the Maldives as the Presidential election period drew closer. Two of the most renowned figures in Maldives politics, Mohamed Nasheed and Maumoon Abdul Qayoom faced major decisions when it came to their political careers. While Nasheed founded his second political party following a fallout within the Maldives Democratic Party (MDP), Maumoon was faced with the possible dissolution of the third political party formed by him, the Maldives Reform Movement (MRM).
Although the political party was initially formed in 2019, following Maumoon’s departure from the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), the newly founded MRM faced the issue of not reaching the requirements by 2022. According to the Election Commission (EC) laws, political parties formed in the Maldives must submit a minimum required number of 3,000 membership forms. By 2022, MRM only had a total of 2,300 members, bringing up the possibility of the party getting dissolved. This possibility also led to the Presidential candidate from MRM having to run in the 2023 Presidential race as an independent candidate. While the candidate, Faris Maumoon, the son of the founder of MRM, has garnered some popularity during the elections due to his ideologies resonating with the youth, it appears that the issue of getting dissoluted is still a possibility for this political party.
In the latest updates, the EC has called on creditors of the party to come forward and settle any debts prior to the liquidation of MRM. With the decision already made to liquidate the party, EC has given creditors until the 10th of November, 2024 to submit their documentation to the party office to settle the final matters. While these final measures were announced by EC, it appears that MRM still has the possibility of a fighting chance left to save the party from getting liquidated as MRM has now appealed the commission's decision at the Maldives’ Civil Court. According to the political party, the notice that was sent by the EC which noted the lack of members failed to take into account the existence of some forms that had not been processed at the time.
In an unexpected turn, the court has now ruled in favour of the political party, citing that EC has failed to fulfil its proper responsibilities.
As per that article, Elections Commission not having fulfilled its responsibilities in the past by issuing notices once every six months to confirm number of members, any loss faced through that is not something that MRM is legally bound to carry.
The political party had 2981 members at the time, which is only 19 members short of reaching the 3,000 requirement mark. With this, MRM may still stand the chance of avoiding the party getting liquidated.
