The People’s National Congress (PNC) has stated that it lacks the capability to verify the authenticity of membership forms submitted through its "Membership Drive," emphasizing that such verification can only be done by the Elections Commission (EC). This comes amid growing complaints about fake forms being submitted to the EC in the party’s name.

PNC’s Statement

In a statement released today, PNC acknowledged that some fraudulent forms were submitted during its membership drive, which saw a record number of submissions. The party clarified that its administrative staff worked diligently to submit the forms through the EC’s portal but cannot verify their authenticity.

The statement also noted that the EC and police are investigating cases related to fake forms, and PNC is fully cooperating with these investigations.

Challenges in Verification

PNC highlighted that verifying the authenticity of forms is a challenge faced by all political parties in the Maldives due to limited resources. The party stressed that it does not condone actions that violate individuals’ rights and urged the public to report any such issues directly to them.

Background

The statement follows social media uproar over allegations that members of other parties, including MDP’s Vaikaradhoo MP Hussain Ziyad, were falsely registered to PNC. The EC has since invalidated the form submitted in Ziyad’s name and confirmed that his parliamentary membership remains unchanged.