Elections Commission (EC) of the Maldives will be conducting audit into how state funds received by political parties are spent, the Commission has announced.

Vice President of EC, Ismail Habeeb, tweeted that the commission will conduct audit on political party funds under the political party's regulations.

Political party regulations state that the state will allocate 0.1% of the state budget to political parties every year. Parties with a membership of over 10,000 members will be eligible to receive funds from the government.

The administration has given MVR 30.2 million as funds to political parties this year.

Maldives Democratic Party (MDP) has received MRV 15.02 million, while Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) received MVR 9.4 million, and Jumhooree Party (JP) received MVR 5.5 million. Adhaalath Party has received MVR 2.9 million.

Maldives National Party (MNP)'s Vice President, Vilimale constituency MP Ali Usham submitted a bill to parliament last Monday to stop state funding for political parties.

MP Usham said it was nonsensical for the administration to provide funds to political parties. He also added that political parties with 3,000 or lesser members should not be dissolved.

MP Usham further added that removing the clause from political party regulations to stop funding for parties would benefit the administration financially.