The Elections Commission of Maldives (ECM) has amended its procedures to allow individuals to withdraw from the political party register immediately through the main online portal from 1 January 2026.

The revisions cover political party membership registration, the maintenance of party registers, and procedures for withdrawing from party membership.

Under the updated rules, requests submitted by individuals to deregister from a political party via the main portal will now take effect immediately. However, the Commission clarified that individuals who hold positions or official roles within political parties are still required to formally submit a resignation from the party before leaving or registering with another political party.

In addition, political parties will be given a 30-day period to process membership-related requests submitted through the main portal. If a request is not acted upon within this timeframe, the individual will be registered with the party upon the expiry of the period, in line with the revised rules.

The ECM said these changes form part of its efforts to transition services to a fully digital system. As part of this initiative, the submission of candidate forms for upcoming Local Council Elections has been moved online, along with applications for election officials, observers, and monitors.