The Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM)’s national congress which began on Friday night is not legitimate, states PPM’s elections committee, whose members are also part of the opposition-aligned Maumoon Reform Movement (MRM).

The elections committee in a press statement said that, while Friday’s PPM congress saw the election of several members to top positions, the regulations require that the party’s elections committee be involved in any internal election.

Since PPM’s election committee was not involved in the congress, those that were elected have not legally been appointed to the positions, stated the committee.

They also said that leaders of various PPM branches have complained that they were neither informed nor invited to the congress.

The statement was signed by the three members of the elections committee. They are Ahmed Shujau, Ibrahim Afrath, and Ali Rasheed.