Independent Institutions Committee of Parliament has approved a Constitutional Amendment Bill to hold presidential and parliamentary elections simultaneously.
The bill, submitted on behalf of the government, seeks to amend the Constitution to merge the two elections. The committee completed its review and voted on the bill today, passing it without amendments by a majority of members present.
The bill will now be sent to the Parliament floor for debate and voting.
During the committee review, consultations were held with the Attorney General’s Office, the Elections Commission and political parties.
As the proposed change requires public approval, the government plans to seek a referendum alongside the local council elections scheduled for April.
President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has previously stated that he intends to ask the public to approve holding both elections at the same time. He said conducting the elections simultaneously would be in the public interest and save approximately MVR 120 million in state funds.
“If the people decide this, I believe it is best to amend the Constitution and hold the two elections together in 2028,” the President said.
While the government is pushing to merge the elections, the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has opposed the move. The party boycotted the committee proceedings and has announced plans to stage protests against the proposal.
