Transparency Maldives Urges Gov’t, ECM to Probe Fraudulent Party Registrations

Transparency Maldives (TM) called on the government and the Elections Commission of Maldives (ECM) to conduct a thorough investigation into the ongoing practice of fraudulent registration of Maldivian citizens to political parties.

In a press statement published today, TM said it is deeply concerning the personal information of both ordinary citizens and parliamentary members have been illegally accessed via public records. They said these actions violate the fundamental right to freedom that is guaranteed under the constitution in addition to the violations made to the Political Parties Act as well.

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“The right to participate in political activities, including the choice to join a political party, is a personal decision of every citizen and must be a conscious and free decision,” TM said.

They called on the government of Maldives, ECM, and political parties to conduct a thorough, independent and transparent investigation into the matter and take strict action against those responsible for these fraudulent activities including the misuse of personal information.

In addition to the investigation, TM is calling on the aforementioned parties to take six more actions.

Additional Action to be Taken by Relevant Institutions

• Remove the records of those citizens whose memberships to political parties were submitted fraudulently and without their consent. In doing so, the ECM  must exercise impartiality, fair treatment and prioritize safeguarding fundamental rights.
• Take measures to strengthen the internal mechanism of political parties with adequate checks and balances to ensure accountability and transparency. These mechanisms must be regularly monitored and reviewed.
• ECM  must enforce robust verification mechanisms to confirm the authenticity of forms to join political parties.
• Conduct a comprehensive review of existing safeguards of central databases containing critical and private information of citizens.
• Conduct inclusive and collaborative awareness sessions to promote democratic values among political institutions, educate the public on the misuse of personal information, and mechanisms in place for complaints and redressal.
• Enforce robust data protection legislation containing standards and protocols that must be followed by State and Non-State institutions that maintain personal information of citizens. Such legislation must also include comprehensive transparency and accountability frameworks to ensure that critical data is not misused.

TM said it is the responsibility of ECM to take these actions proactively so that the public will have trust and faith in the local political system.

Fraudulent registration of members into political parties is an issue that has been persistent in the Maldives without any solution. Yesterday, opposition party Maldives Democratic Party (MDP) accused current administration of illegally registering over 3,000 of their registered members to People’s National Congress, the ruling administration’s party. The party said they have filed 68 of these cases separately with the police and Anti-Corruption Commission (EC) for investigation.