The ruling party does not believe that President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu's endorsement of several independent candidates for the upcoming parliamentary elections violates the party statutes, spokesperson Heena Waleed has said.
Muizzu has been openly campaigning for several independent candidates instead of backing the candidates running on the ruling People's National Congress (PNC) ticket after the party's primary.
In response to a question from a journalist during a news conference at the party office on Monday, Heena said the PNC works in consultation with the leaders of the two allied parties.
The ruling party is in a coalition with the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM).
"We do not believe that the President has violated [the statutes] in such a manner as you have claimed. We have not received any kind of complaint from any individual so far. And we have not noticed any violation of the statutes," Heena said.
"No, he did not act in violation of the statutes," she insisted.
Despite Heena's statement, the PNC's statutes clearly detail the responsibilities of the party members.
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The statutes make it obligatory for members of the PNC to seek support and vote for candidates contesting general elections on the party's ticket. There are also ways to take action if a member violates the statutes.
The failure to perform the duties of members as stipulated in the statutes is something that can cause disciplinary action.
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Among the measures to be taken against those who violate the party's statutes include;
- issue warning
- suspension from party post
- withhold the right to contest in party elections for a certain period of time
- suspension from party activities
- expulsion from the party
In addition to these measures, the Members' Affairs Committee also has the power to take other disciplinary action.
The statutes do not distinguish between senior party leaders and ordinary members.
