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PPM official: Return our members registered to other parties

PPM’s Secretary-General Mohamed Tholal.

Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM)’s Secretary-General Mohamed Tholal has appealed to the Elections Commission to have PPM members registered to other parties returned to the main opposition party.

Tholal told Sun the party had noticed a decline in membership since October last year, and further investigation showed PPM members were registered to newly formed parties without their consent or knowledge.

“That was a time new parties were established. Our findings show our members were taken to these parties,” he said.

Tholal alleged that parties were also stealing PPM members to boost their membership up to 10,000 members as the date for the disbursement of state funds to political parties approached.

Political parties need to have at least 10,000 members in order to be eligible for state funding.

Tholal said that some of the former members PPM called were unaware they were registered to other parties.

“We noticed that forms were filled in their names and submitted to Elections Commission without their knowledge,” he said.

Tholal said that PPM officials have met with members of the Elections Commission to share concerns over the issue.

“PPM’s stand in this is to regain the party’s members. We call upon the Elections Commission to have our members returned to us,” he said.

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