President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has said holding Presidential and Parliamentary elections at different times could undermine national stability.
Speaking at the launch of the PNC’s “Greater Addu” campaign at Artificial Beach on Saturday night ahead of the April 4 local council elections, President Muizzu said the opposition was misleading the public by claiming the government planned to merge the two elections.
He said the government’s proposal is not to merge the elections but to hold them on the same day.
“As stipulated in the Constitution, the current parliamentary term would need to be shortened to hold both elections on the same day. I ask the people whether they think the term should be shortened so the two elections can be held together,” he said.
According to President Muizzu, the main objective is to increase voter participation. He noted that presidential elections typically attract the highest turnout.
“The presidential election has the highest number of voters. However, turnout for parliamentary elections is usually 10 to 12 percent lower,” he said.
Holding both votes on the same day would allow more people to participate in choosing members of parliament, he added.
“In a democracy, a decline in the number of people voting for their representatives weakens the democratic system.”
President Muizzu said the disadvantages of holding the elections separately outweigh any potential benefits, arguing that the biggest risk is political instability.
“The biggest loss is the loss of stability in the country. One of my main policies is to establish stability,” he said.
The President also said the country currently enjoys political stability and criticized past political practices where former leaders were imprisoned after changes in government.
“Whatever your political opinion, you should not be imprisoned unless you commit a crime,” he said.
President Muizzu also accused the MDP supermajority parliament during the early months of his administration of creating difficulties for the government, including attempts to pass a no-confidence motion against him.
The proposal to hold the two elections together was submitted in Parliament by PNC PG leader Ibrahim Falah and passed on the 10th of last month.
Because the change requires a constitutional amendment, it must be approved by the public through a referendum. The Elections Commission has decided to hold the referendum alongside next month’s local council elections.
President Muizzu has previously said that holding the presidential and parliamentary elections together could save the state around MVR 80 million.
