Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI): Maldives ranking falls by 6 positions

The Maldives has fallen by six positions in the 2019 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), reveals statistics by Transparency Maldives (TM).

According to the statistics, the Maldives is ranked at 130 out of 180 countries in 2019 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) report with a total score of 29 points. In comparison to 2018, the country's score dropped by two points bringing the country's ranking down by six positions. The index uses a scale of zero to 100, with the lowest level of corruption at zero and highest at 100.

Transparency Maldives (TM) states that the CPI score is based on information for the year 2018 retrieved from three sources; the Global Insight Country Risk Ratings, the Varieties of Democracy Project (V-Dem), and the World Bank's Country Policy and Institutional Assessment (CPIA).

Highlighting the normalisation of vote-buying and improper campaign finance regulations in the country, the organisation attributed the fall in the country's CPI to corruption in political campaigns.

Transparency Maldives went on to appeal for the Maldivian government to regulate political financing, launch an adequate asset disclosure programme, confront politicians or officials showing partiality in budget allocation, police lobbying activities and bolstering electoral dignity while tackling misinformation campaigns.