MDP Petition High Court to Keep Their Coalition Agreement Secret

The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has filed a petition in the High Court seeking to keep their coalition agreement with the Adhaalath Party and MDA a secret.

The MDP has filed a petition in the High Court alleging that the coalition agreement signed by the MDP during the presidential election falls outside the definition of information pertaining to a “public body,” as defined in Article 72(g) of the Access to Information Act No. 2014/1 (Right to Information Act), to appeal the decision of the Information Commissioner’s Office.

The MDP has appealed against the decision of the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) in the High Court, arguing that political parties are not included within the meaning of “public body” under Article 72(g) of the Access to Information Act.

A lawyer who spoke on the issue said political parties are legal entities that receive assistance from the state budget and political parties would be included among the “state agencies” defined in the law. The MDP also agreed to receive funding from the state budget at an open meeting held by the Information Commissioner's Office.

The MDP appealed the decision in the High Court on October 14th, after the Information Commissioner's Office ruled on October 12th last year that the MDP should disclose the details of the agreement.

The MDP, which has been the largest party in Maldives in recent years, receives more than 10 million MVR annually from the state. In 2023, the state allocated 15.1 million MVR to the MDP.