The Civil Court has dismissed a case submitted by the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) seeking to quash a presidential decree calling for a referendum on holding presidential and parliamentary elections simultaneously.
MDP filed the case last month following President Dr Mohamed Muizzu’s decision to put the proposal to a public vote.
In its decision, the court registrar said the application did not meet the requirements for judicial review. The ruling noted that applicants must first make reasonable efforts to resolve a matter through relevant authorities before seeking court intervention.
According to the court, MDP failed to provide evidence that it had filed a complaint with any agency or received a decision prior to filing the case.
Despite the dismissal, a separate case has been scheduled at the Supreme Court for this morning. The case, filed by a group of lawyers, seeks to stop the referendum vote.
