President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has ratified the fourth amendment to the Political Parties Act. The amendment prohibits any political party from using distinctive symbols of a dissolved party for a period of five years, and introduces fines for parties violating electoral laws, with penalties up to MVR 100,000 for the party and individual fines up to MVR 75,000. It also sets a cap on political party budgets, limiting them to 0.2 per cent of the total annual national budget.