The Civil Court has ruled that the Election Commission (EC)’s decision to dissolve the Maldives Reform Movement (MRM) was unlawful.
The decision to dissolve the MRM was made by the commission in May last year, due to the party's failure to meet the minimum requirement of 3,000 members as stipulated by the Political Parties Act. The party had been given two prior notices to increase its membership, but it failed to do so, leading to the decision to dissolve the party. MRM challenged EC's decision and took the commission to court.
At a Civil Court hearing held Monday, Judge Mohamed Easa Fulhu said the notice issued to MRM by the EC was in violation of the Political Parties Act.
When MRM was issued a notice in February 2023, MRM had a membership of 2,981. The notice did not indicate any pending membership forms that were yet to be processed, rendering it in violation of procedural requirements.
The Election Commission has been ordered to pay MVR 50,000 to MRM as legal costs under the Civil Procedure Act. The payment is required to be made within seven days following the court's decision.
MRM's Founder former President Maumoon Abdul Gayyoom (L) with his politician son, Faris Maumoon (R)
