The Elections Commission (EC) has announced the dissolution of former Vice President Ahmed Adeeb’s Maldives Thirdway Democrats (MTD).

In an announcement published on the government gazette on Tuesday, the EC said the political party was dissolved for failing to reach the minimum membership criteria.

According to the rules of political parties, a party must have a minimum of 3,000 members on its register. A party will be dissolved if its fail to reach the criteria withing three months.

Figures from the EC website show that MTD has 2,272 registered members. With the party's dissolution, EC has asked MTD to notify the commission about any outstanding debts before the end of this month.

The party's dissolution came as Adeeb indirectly criticized President Mohamed Muizzu's government in a post on X on the occasion of this year's National Day which was celebrated on August 24.

His post stated that the most important national duty of this country is to feed it's people and make it debt free.

Adeeb, who served as Tourism Minister and Vice President during former President Abdulla Yameen's government, was sacked in connection with the Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) corruption scandal.

He was convicted of treason and sentenced to a long prison term, but was released after former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih commuted his sentence at the end of his government.

Adeeb has been living abroad, mostly in Middle Eastern and South East Asian countries, since his release in 2023.