MDP decides to boycott parliament sittings

Opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) parliamentary group has decided to boycott the extraordinary sittings of Parliament, alleging that the sittings are being held unlawfully.

Galolhu North MP Mohamed Ibrahim (Kudu), one of the most active MDP MPs, said in a post on X that the parliamentary group believes the extraordinary sittings violate the Constitution and existing laws.

He said the sittings are being convened without providing adequate notice in order to rush through constitutional amendments. According to MP Mohamed, there is no justification for amending the Constitution in such haste.

The government held an extraordinary sitting yesterday and introduced a bill to amend the Constitution to allow presidential and parliamentary elections to be held simultaneously.

The bill was debated in Parliament and subsequently referred to the Committee on Independent Institutions. The committee also met yesterday and approved a timeline to complete work on the amendment by the 15th of this month. The bill will remain open for public comment until that date, which falls on Thursday.

Several other matters were passed during yesterday’s sitting, and another extraordinary sitting has been scheduled for today.

A senior official from the Attorney General’s Office said yesterday that if Parliament approves the amendment to hold the two elections simultaneously, the law requires the matter to be put to a public referendum. The government has proposed holding the referendum alongside the April 4 local council elections as a cost cutting measure.

According to the Attorney General’s Office, this approach is also aimed at reducing expenses. The government has stated that it must adhere to statutory timelines to conduct a referendum or general vote, even while Parliament is in recess.

Under the law, a minimum of 45 days and a maximum of 90 days must pass between the request for a referendum and the date of voting. Public awareness activities are also required to be carried out within this period.