People’s National Congress Parliamentary Group Leader Ibrahim Falah has declared that the Maldives no longer has a functioning opposition, arguing that the once-dominant Maldivian Democratic Party is now deeply fractured and unable to present itself as a credible national force.
Addressing supporters at the inauguration of the PNC’s Malé area campaign office for Thinadhoo City, Falah said the country is witnessing the collapse of what the MDP claims is the “largest opposition movement.” Despite branding itself as the leading challenger in the upcoming local council elections, he noted that the party has failed to field candidates for 450 contested seats nationwide.
According to Falah, this shortfall reflects eroding grassroots support and signals what he described as a political decline beyond repair. He accused the MDP of losing public trust after years in power, alleging that the party’s governance since 2008 inflicted lasting damage on the country’s social cohesion, economic stability, and state institutions.
Falah also pointed to what he characterized as visible disunity within the MDP. Referring to a recent door-to-door campaign by the party’s Malé Mayor, he claimed the mayor was accompanied by only two individuals, describing it as evidence of internal fragmentation and dwindling mobilisation capacity.
He further criticised the MDP’s financial management, highlighting that the party, as one of the largest membership-based political organisations in the Maldives, receives the highest allocation of state funding among opposition parties. Citing last year’s allocation of MVR 9 million, Falah alleged that the MDP had failed to cover administrative fees required by the Elections Commission for its candidates and had not provided adequate campaign support.
State funding for political parties in the Maldives is distributed based on membership numbers, with the intention of strengthening democratic participation and grassroots engagement. Falah argued that such funds are meant to empower political activities and outreach, not to sustain what he described as internal party bureaucracy.
With local council elections approaching, the PNC has intensified its campaign efforts across the country, positioning itself as the only organised and unified political force capable of delivering stable governance at both national and local levels.
