MRM dissolved following failure to meet minimum membership mark

Maldives Reform Movement (MRM), the political party spearheaded by former president Maumoon Abdul Gayyoom, has been dissolved on Tuesday.

Elections Commission (EC) said that party was dissolved due to its failure to meet the minimum membership mark; which is 3,000.

EC’s Secretary General Hassan Zakariyya said the commission’s decision to dissolve MRM will be publicized soon.

EC served three-months’ notice to political parties with insufficient number of members to meet the minimum membership mark back in last year’s June. MRM was among the three parties. At that time, the party had 2,300 members.

A second notice was served in February, as the party still had insufficient number of members. MRM submitted membership applications to EC in June in an attempt to meet the minimum membership mark.

As per EC’s website, MRM has 2,981 members as of February 21^st, 2023.

MRM’s dissolution comes after eight top officials from the party had resigned earlier this month to endorse President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih in the upcoming presidential elections. Seven members from the eight officials who resigned were individuals holding senior government posts

Many MRM members hold positions in the incumbent government by coalition. They include three cabinet ministers.

However, MRM’s Spokesperson Aminath Nadira represented the party during a press conference held on May 3^rd by opposition politicians and parties regarding the maritime border dispute between Maldives and Mauritius. This prompted disagreement between members of the party; some of them supported the government’s stand on the maritime dispute while others opposed the government’s stand.