Yameen receives EC’s go-ahead to form PNF

Former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom has received permission from the Elections Commission (EC) to form his new party, the People’s National Front (PNF).

Yameen’s aides filed for permission for form PNF on Monday.

The commission decided to grant permission to the new party during a meeting on Wednesday.

The letter of permission was accepted on behalf of PNF by Dr. Mohamed Jameel Ahmed, who served as Yameen’s first vice president, and his brother Mohamed Maleeh Jamal, who also served on Yameen’s cabinet as science minister.

PNF will now be required to submit at least 3,000 membership forms to the EC, within the next three months.

The former president has decided to name eight people as founding members of the party; he himself, his son Zain, former vice president Dr. Mohamed Jameel Ahmed, former commissioner of police Hussain Waheed, former chief of staff Ahmed Mustafa, Adlee Ismail, former vice president Dr. Abdulla Jihad, and Ali Adam.

However, the EC’s regulations allow for only one founder to be listed. They therefore decided to pick Zain as the founder.

Yameen left the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) – a party he led for years – last week, after the conflict within the PPM-PNC coalition boiled over, just short of a week into President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu’s administration.