PNC opens candidacy for massive internal elections scheduled for October

The main ruling People’s National Congress (PNC) has opened candidacy for its internal elections – scheduled for October 19.

At a press briefing on Wednesday afternoon, Dr. Abdulla Khaleel, the country’s health minister and president of PNC’s elections committee, said that the PNC’s internal elections will be the biggest elections held by a political party.

Khaleel said that it will see the election of 2,095 officials to electoral roles within the party, including presidents of the youth movement and women’s movement in each residential island.

He said that the party’s parliamentarians will serve as presidents of their respective constitutions. The election will see the party’s members chose presidents of constituencies that the party does not hold parliamentary seats for, as well as vice presidents of the constituencies and members to the party’s steering committees.

Khaleel said that the party will elect seven-member steering committees in islands within populations below 3,000 people, and nine-member committees in larger islands.

Meanwhile, candidates for presidency of constituencies must submit membership forms of 50 new members to the party, while candidates for vice presidency must submit 25 membership forms.

Candidacy will remain open until September 30.

PNC aims to boost membership numbers to 75,000 by the end of November, which will make it the country’s biggest political party. The party’s parliamentary group leader, Inguraidhoo MP Ibrahim Falah said that the party currently has 30,000 members. He said the new membership forms will increase the figure to 50,000.

The main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) remains the biggest political party in the Maldives with 50,980 members.