President ratifies Political Parties Act amendment bill

President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu on Sunday has ratified the fourth amendment to the Political Parties Act, aimed at introducing new regulatory and control measures in administrating political parties.

The amendment was passed by Parliament during the 49^th sitting of the 20^th People’s Majilis session on Wednesday, November 13, 2024.

Under the new amendment, if a registered political party is dissolved as per the law, its logo, colors, insignia, and other similar markers can no longer be used by any other political party for a period of five years from the date of dissolution. The amendment also clarifies the statutes governing the registration of political parties in the country as well.

Furthermore, the amendment revises Section 35 of the Act, requiring that budgetary allocations for political parties be explicitly included in the national budget and disbursed within the year. The allocated figure must fall between 0.1 and 0.2 percent of the annual national budget.

Besides this, the amendment has repealed clause (a)(4) of under the section specifying the dissolution of political parties, which now grants Elections Commission (EC) to dissolve political parties if they do not hold its congress once in every five years. Moreover, the amendment further repealed Article 10 of the Act which stipulates primaries of political parties.

Additionally, the new amendment introduces penalties for electoral law violations. As per the new amendment, political parties found in breach of electoral laws – excluding cases involving falsified forms – will face a fine of MVR 100,000 while individuals culpable of such offenses will face penalties between MVR 30,000 and MVR 75,000.

The amendment will come into effect following its ratification and subsequent publication in the Government Gazette.