People's National Congress | |
|---|---|
| Abbreviation | PNC |
| President | Mohamed Muizzu |
| Chairperson | Abdul Raheem Abdulla |
| Secretary-General | Muaz Haleem |
| Governing body | Upper house Cabinet of Members |
| Spokesperson | Heena Waleed |
| Vice Presidents | |
| Founder | Abdulla Yameen |
| Founded | 31 January 2019 Malé, Maldives |
| Split from | Progressive Party of Maldives |
| Headquarters | Sea Track L7, Maafannu, Malé, Maldives |
| Membership (December 2024) | 68,968 |
| Ideology | |
| Political position | Centre-right to right-wing |
| People's Majlis | 75 / 93
|
| Party flag | |
| Website | |
| pnc | |
The People's National Congress, abbreviated as PNC, is a political party in the Maldives founded in January 2019 and the current governing party. The party's formation was spearheaded by former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom, who had been in a dispute with the leadership of the Progressive Party of Maldives.
The PNC was founded with support from Yameen by Fonadhoo MP Abdul Raheem Abdulla, and was also joined by Nilandhoo MP Abdulla Khaleel. They then became president and vice president of the party, respectively, shortly after.
History
2019–2023
The PNC formed an alliance with the PPM on 2 February 2019, and together operated as the "Progressive Congress Coalition".
The PNC won 3 seats in the 19th Parliament, namely Vice Presidents Mohamed Saeed (Maavah constituency) and Adam Shareef Umar (Maduvvari constituency), and Ibrahim Fazul Rasheed (Felidhoo constituency). Interim party leader Abdul Raheem Abdulla lost his seat in Fonadhoo constituency.
The party is scheduled to hold its Inaugural National Conference in late April 2019, where appointments for full-term party positions will be made. On 26 April 2019 the congress was held and former MP Ahmed Nihan Hussain Manik, former MP Ibrahim Shujau and former Economic Minister Mohamed Saeed was elected the vice-presidents of the party. However, after former MP Ahmed Nihan Hussain Manik departed the party, former Fenaka Managing Director Mohamed Nimal was appointed vice-president of PNC.
2023–present (ruling party)
On 30 September 2023, the PNC candidate, Mohamed Muizzu, won the second-round runoff of the Maldives presidential election, beating incumbent president, Ibrahim Solih, with 54% of the vote.
On Friday 17 November 2023, PNC became the ruling party of Maldives after Muizzu took office.
In the days following, the internal discord within the PPM-PNC coalition increased, and came to a head on Thursday. The faction aligned with former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom was demanding the Muizzu's resignation. On Thursday night, Yameen resigned from his position as the leader of the PPM and declared his intention to leave the party, signaling his plan to establish a new political entity named the People's National Front.
Opposition to Israel Passport Ban
In 2024, Maldivian MP Meekail Ahmed Naseem submitted a bill to the parliament calling for a ban on entry for Israeli passport holders. However, President Mohamed Muizzu’s party, the People’s National Congress (PNC), has faced criticism for delaying the bill’s implementation through the parliament, raising concerns that it may be a public relations move rather than a genuine effort to enforce the ban.
Illegitimate party membership
In December 2024, it was found out that many people were being switched political parties to PNC. Ranging from former state ministers as well as parliamentarians from the opposition. It was alleged that the Homeland Minister Ali Ihusaan was recruiting under age individuals to join by collecting personal information, which he denied.
Election results
President elections
| Election | Party candidate | Running mate | Votes | % | Votes | % | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First round | Second round | ||||||
| 2023 | Mohamed Muizzu | Hussain Mohamed Latheef | 101,635 | 46.06% | 128,929 | 54.06% | Elected |
People's Majlis
| Year | Party Leader | Votes | Vote % | Seats | +/– |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Abdul Raheem Abdulla | 13,931 | 6.63 | 3 / 87
|
New |
| 2024 | Mohamed Muizzu | 101,120 | 48.06 | 66 / 93
|
63 |
Party Leaders
| Party Leader | Year | Office | Preceded by | Succeeded by | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abdul Raheem Abdulla | 2019-2023 | President | Office established | Mohamed Muizzu | |
| Mohamed Muizzu | 2023-present | President | Abdul Raheem Abdulla | Incumbent | |
| Hussain Mohamed Latheef | 2023-present | Vice president | Multiple VPs | Incumbent | |
See also
Notes
References
- ^ "Defence state minister Muaz appointed as PNC Secretary General". Atoll Times. 13 January 2025. Retrieved 13 January 2025.
- ^ "Party Leaders". People's National Congress. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
- ^ "Peoples National Congress". Elections Commission of Maldives. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
- ^ Shaahunaz, Fathmath (24 January 2019). "Electoral watchdog finally permits formation of new party PNC". The Edition. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
- ^ a b "EC authorizes formation of Yameen's new party". The Edition. 27 December 2018. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
- ^ "Top court hears former ruling party's leadership dispute". Maldives Independent. 15 January 2019. Archived from the original on 17 November 2019. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
- ^ Mohamed, Shahudha (28 April 2019). "PNC will lead Maldives' future political decisions: Abdul Raheem". The Edition. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
- ^ "Sheikh Imran Abdulla appointed as Minister of Home Affairs". The President's Office. 2 December 2018. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
- ^ "Nimal elected as the Vice President of PNC". PSM News. 9 September 2019. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
- ^ Junayd, Mohamed (1 October 2023). "Maldives opposition candidate Muizzu wins presidential vote". Reuters. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
- ^ "New Maldives president promises to expel foreign military personnel". Al Jazeera. 17 November 2023. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
- ^ "Yameen faction demands President Muizzu's resignation, a week into term". Sun. 24 November 2023. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
- ^ Mohamed, Mariyath (31 May 2024). "MDP submits bill to parliament calling to ban Israeli passports". The Edition. Retrieved 5 January 2025.
- ^ "PNC MPs reject resolution to expedite bill banning Israeli passports". Raajje TV. 20 November 2024. Retrieved 13 January 2025.
- ^ Mohamed, Mariyath (30 December 2024). "Have received complaints of falsified party switching: Elections Commission". The Edition. Retrieved 15 January 2025.
- ^ Shahid, Malika (6 January 2025). "Incorrect form submitted to EC under ex-state minister Thoriq's name". The Edition. Retrieved 15 January 2025.
- ^ Osmanagic, Ameera (13 January 2025). "MP Ziyad unknowingly registered to PNC, MP status in question". The Edition. Retrieved 15 January 2025.
- ^ Shahid, Malika (15 January 2025). "Minister Ihusan denies claims of underage party recruitment". The Edition. Retrieved 15 January 2025.
- ^ "Dr. Muizzu appointed as PNC President". Avas. 5 October 2023. Retrieved 22 April 2024.