The ruling People’s National Congress (PNC) acknowledged that invalid membership forms were discovered among the submissions made to the Elections Commission as part of its recent membership drive.

This admission comes amid mounting allegations that individuals were fraudulently enrolled in the party using fake forms. 

In a statement, PNC explained that its administrative staff had worked tirelessly to upload forms via the Elections Commission portal but lacked the capacity to verify their validity prior to submission. 

The party emphasized that form validation only occurs after submission to the Elections Commission.

PNC described the issue as a longstanding challenge for all political parties in the Maldives, citing limited resources since the adoption of the multi-party system.

The Elections Commission and the Maldives Police Service have launched investigations into complaints about fake forms. 

PNC stated it was also conducting an internal probe to identify how invalid forms were submitted.

The party condemned any acts infringing on individuals' rights, including the use of fraudulent forms to inflate membership numbers, and stressed that such practices are neither condoned nor encouraged by its leadership.

PNC urged anyone facing issues related to invalid forms to report their concerns by emailing the party at [email protected].