Malé, Maldives – Ruling party Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) and opposition coalition parties, Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) and People’s National Congress (PNC) have all been fined for violating the Health Protection Agency (HPA) guidelines set forth as preventative measures against Covid-19.
A media official of Maldives Police Service revealed this on Sunday, however, refused to provide any further details on the matter.
While the opposition parties were the subject of fines for violating HPA regulations several times before as well, this is the first time MDP has been fined.
The fines are likely to have been due to the events held by the parties on last Friday, which includes the opening of a campaign office in Hulhumalé by MDP and a protest on the streets of Malé by the opposition, both which had people gathered in mass, which violated the HPA guidelines dictating that it is prohibited to be out in public in groups of more than five individuals during this time.
While this was the first time MDP was fined for the violations, it comes after heavy criticism from the opposition, which repeatedly pointed out that no action was being taken against MDP despite several prior violations, while the authorities were quick to arrest and fine those who belong to the opposition.
