President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has stated last night that holding the Presidential and Parliamentary Elections at the same time allows for Parliament members to be elected without knowing who the President is going to be, with the supermajority system being left behind as a result.
During a rally at the ruling party PNC's campaign hub, the President said that his work is meant to bring about beneficial ends for the country, even if it may not be the most popular decisions. The President used the ban on vapes and the generational ban on smoking as an example and said that he will continue to work to bring about efforts that will benefit the future.
According to President Muizzu, the Presidential Election and the Parliamentary Election being held on the same day is one such piece of work. He went on to say that currently, once a President is elected, everyone believes that the six months that follows until the Parliamentary Elections brings no value and that it only causes harm.
The President continued by stating that the Parliamentary Election being held after a President is elected and government put into office, the chance for a free election is lost if the ruling party holds their own interests in a higher regard.
President Muizzu said that if a President is to govern without the nation at the forefront of their mind, the results would only be negative.
"A free and fair election must be present in a democracy. On one side, there are government candidates and on the other are non-government candidates. At that point, it is not a free and fair election," as was said by President Muizzu.
"So we need to make the Parliamentary Election a free and fair election."
As the President stated, a system within the Parliament to hold the government accountable can only be done with a free election.
President Muizzu went on to say that when both elections are held on the same day, Parliament members will be elected without any knowledge as to who will be elected as the President. This will result in various political party members being elected, with Parliament members who represent varied political parties, said President Muizzu.
"When two elections are held on the same day, what happens is that no one will know who the President is going to be, with Parliament members being elected at the same time on the same day," stated President Muizzu.
"At that point, one cannot say that they are a government candidate. A Parliament that includes an even and fairly distributed selection of MPs can be elected amongst candidates from the ruling party, candidates from the party who is not elected to office and other party candidates who ran."
President Muizzu said that the government can only be held accountable with such a Parliament.
"The supermajority system may be left behind only by holding both elections on the same day."
As preparations are underway for such a result to present itself on Saturday, President Muizzu continued by stating that questions are being posed and topics being discussed as to why PNC has been acting in a manner that may damage the 2028 elections. As questions are being raised as to what the political benefits would be, the President said that such questions are being asked due to all governments having prioritized their own interests.
However, President Muizzu went on to say that the current government prioritizes the nation and that they are working to bring about reform as well. While these include the amendments to the Constitution and the bad habits that have been ingrained into society, the government prioritizes the nation, said President Muizzu.
