People's National Congress (Maldives)
Political party in the Maldives
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The People's National Congress,[a] abbreviated as PNC, is a political party in the Maldives founded in January 2019 and the current governing party.[5] It is one of the two major political parties in the Maldives, with the other being the Maldivian Democratic 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.[6]
People's National Congress ޕީޕަލްސް ނޭޝަނަލް ކޮންގްރެސް | |
|---|---|
| |
| Abbreviation | PNC |
| President | Mohamed Muizzu |
| Chairperson | Abdul Raheem Abdulla |
| Secretary-General | Moosa Fathuhy[1] |
| 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 (January 2026) | 74,048[3] |
| Ideology | |
| Political position | Centre-right to right-wing |
| Colors | Turqoise |
| People's Majlis | 74 / 93
|
| City Mayors | 0 / 5 |
| City Council Seats | 6 / 52 |
| Party flag | |
 | |
| Website | |
| pnc | |
The PNC was founded with support from Yameen by Fonadhoo MP Abdul Raheem Abdulla, and was also joined by Nilandhoo MP Abdulla Khaleel.[6][7] They took the positions of 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".[8]
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.[9] However, after former MP Ahmed Nihan Hussain Manik departed the party, former Fenaka Managing Director Mohamed Nimal was appointed vice-president of PNC.[10]
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.[11]
On Friday 17 November 2023, the PNC became the ruling party of Maldives after Muizzu took office.[12]
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 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.[13]
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.[14] 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.[15]
Illegitimate party membership
In December 2024, it was found out that many people were being switched political parties to PNC.[16] Ranging from former state ministers as well as parliamentarians from the opposition.[17][18] It was alleged that the Homeland Minister Ali Ihusaan was recruiting under age individuals to join by collecting personal information, which he denied.[19]
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 [20] | President | Abdul Raheem Abdulla | Incumbent |
 |
Hussain Mohamed Latheef | 2023-present | Vice president | Multiple VPs | Incumbent |
