Minister of Fisheries and Ocean Resources Ahmed Shiyam has asserted that the merging of the presidential and parliamentary elections would be an important step taken towards strengthening democracy.
In a press conference held today by ruling People's National Congress (PNC), Shiyam said that statistics indicate that the voter turnout is low when the presidential and parliamentary elections are held separately.
He recalled that voter turnout was high in both the 2013 and 2018 presidential elections, but it decreased significantly in the parliamentary elections that followed each about a year later.
Shiyam said that merging the elections would help ensure greater citizen participation. He added that, as democracy strengthening is being advocated for, this move would meaningfully contribute to that goal.
Shiyam went on to say that merging the two elections is not a novel concept, and has been floated by previous administrations as well. He claimed that former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih had recommended merging three elections during his time in office, and yet his party is now opposing the idea because it was proposed by the current administration.
The minister noted that the constitutional amendments were also designed to reduce how often elections are held. He pointed to the change that now schedules Local Council Elections every five years, instead of the previous three-year cycle.
Shiyam said that these changes were brought as administrations were more inclined on working to win elections throughout their term, instead of focusing on serving the people.
He noted that candidates themselves incur significant expenses during elections. Citing the 2024 parliamentary elections, he said the 368 candidates each spent approximately MVR 3 million. He stressed that this is private spending by candidates and is separate from the costs borne by the Elections Commission to conduct the polls.
Shiyam said that the results of the April 4 public referendum on merging the elections will be ultimately followed.
The referendum is scheduled to be held alongside the Local Council and Women's Development Committee Elections. This is the first nationwide public referendum being held since the 2007 referendum on ruling systems.
