Constitutional amendment to merge presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled for Tuesday’s sitting

Parliament is scheduled to take up the government’s proposed constitutional amendment to merge the presidential and parliamentary elections during Tuesday’s sitting, after the bill was fast‑tracked through committee on Monday.

The amendment was approved without changes at a five‑minute meeting of the Independent Institutions Committee, clearing the way for it to be put to a vote in the next sitting. The agenda for Tuesday also includes the introduction of several bills and motions from the Speaker’s table.

The proposal, submitted by PNC parliamentary group leader and Inguraidhoo MP Ibrahim Falaah in January, seeks to require that presidential and parliamentary elections be held simultaneously. Falaah has also proposed shifting the start date of future parliamentary terms to December 1, beginning with the parliament elected after the 20th term.

President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has publicly backed the amendment, arguing that combining the two national elections would significantly reduce state expenditure. At the opening of the ruling PNC’s new booth on July 7, 2024, the President said holding both elections together would save at least MVR 120 million, funds he said could be redirected to support low‑income families.

The proposal has drawn mixed political reactions. Among opposition figures, only former President Mohamed Nasheed has expressed support. The MDP has opposed the amendment, including former chairman Fayyaz Ismail and former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom. Former Vice President Faisal Naseem, who rarely comments on political matters, also voiced concern, saying the move appears aimed at protecting the government and risks “plunging the country and its people into a deep pit of selfishness.”

If passed, the amendment would mark one of the most consequential changes to the Maldives’ electoral framework since the adoption of the 2008 Constitution, reshaping the national political calendar and altering how future governments are elected.