Mohamed Shakeel, the Chairman of the People’s National Congress (PNC) Election Committee, has issued a sharp rebuke to the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) following claims that the state has failed to provide the party with its allocated funds.

Shakeel, who also serves as the Managing Director of the Maldives Hajj Corporation, took to social media to question the ethics of the MDP’s complaints. He argued that the opposition should be “ashamed” to discuss the national budget, given that their members of Parliament have consistently voted against it for the past three years. “What funds are they looking for from a budget they did not support?” Shakeel questioned.

This criticism follows statements by MDP Acting Chairperson Abdul Ghafoor Moosa (Gapo), who expressed concerns over the party’s current financial instability. Ghafoor stated that the party lacks the necessary resources to conduct internal operations and elections, even suggesting a postponement of the MDP Chairperson election due to these fiscal constraints.

The exchange highlights growing tensions between the ruling coalition and the opposition regarding fiscal responsibility and political funding. The MDP Chairperson election is currently scheduled to take place on June 12, 2026.