Concurrent elections: what the constitutional amendments mean for voters

Constitutional amendments to hold future presidential and parliamentary elections on the same day. Under the current system, voters go to the polls twice within six months, electing the president in September and then electing members of parliament in April.

The government proposed changing this by bringing forward the start of the parliamentary term from May to December 1. This realignment would shorten the five-year term of the 20th People's Majlis – sworn in on May 28, 2024 – by six months, but allow both elections to be held together. The first combined poll would take place in late 2028.

Majority Leader Ibrahim Falah submitted the government-sponsored bill on Saturday while parliament was in recess. MPs were informed on Sunday of an extraordinary sitting scheduled for the following day. The bill was debated on Monday morning and sent to committee by the afternoon. The public was invited to comment by a deadline of 2pm on January 15. The committee set the same day to complete its review of the bill, after which it will be put to a vote.

President Dr Mohamed Muizzu first announced plans for electoral reforms in his Republic Day address in November 2024. He told ruling party lawmakers in April 2025 that he intended to call a public referendum on the changes. 

Presenting the bill at Monday's sitting, Majority Leader Falah said concurrent elections would save MVR 80 million (US$ 5.2 million) from the budget. Addressing criticism concerning the rushed legislative process, Falah said it was the "best time" to pass the amendments as a referendum could be held alongside the local council elections on April 4 instead of a costly standalone poll. Contrary to the opposition's claims, the parliamentary rules allow out-of-session sittings upon request by MPs, he noted.

The ruling party's lawmakers are willing to forfeit six months of their salaries (MVR 450,000) for the public good, he said.

With its 75-seat supermajority in the 93-member house, the People's National Congress comfortably exceeds the three-quarters majority required to amend the constitution. 

However, amendments made to the charter of rights and freedoms (chapter two) or to the provision specifying the terms of office and the conduct of the presidential election could be ratified “only after a public referendum decides so by a majority of the votes cast.”

Consultations with stakeholders would take place during the committee stage, Falah said. A referendum would be called after parliament approves the final text and the president ratifies. If voters reject the proposal, the amendments would be nullified.

It would be the first nationwide public referendum since August 2007, a contested poll where voters chose between a presidential and parliamentary system of government. 

Supporters say savings would be significant. Holding separate presidential and parliamentary elections costs approximately MVR 300 million (including a run-off if no presidential candidate wins a majority in the first round). Former Elections Commission chairman Fuwad Thowfeek estimated that combining them could save around MVR 150 million.

Logistical burdens would be reduced. Schools, which serve as the primary venues for polling stations, would face fewer closures. Election officials would only need to be recruited and trained once. The transport of ballot boxes and other materials would be consolidated.

Voter turnout could improve. Turnout typically drops between the presidential and parliamentary elections, and falls further for local council polls. Former Elections Commission vice president Ismail Habeeb Abdul Raheem suggested simultaneous elections could push turnout toward 90 percent.

The incumbent advantage might be weakened. In both 2019 and 2024, the party that won the presidency in November went on to secure a supermajority in parliament the following April. Critics argue that ruling parties benefit from momentum and access to state resources in the "honeymoon period" between elections. Holding both polls simultaneously could level the playing field.

Campaign disruptions would be halved. Residents, particularly in the congested capital Malé where campaign halls operate in residential neighbourhoods, would face fewer months of noise and disruption. Students preparing for exams would benefit from a shorter campaign season.

Opponents raise concerns about democratic accountability, the balance of power, and the ruling party consolidating control. When voters cast ballots for president and parliament on the same day, they may be more inclined to vote for the same party across both races. This "coattail effect" could make it even easier for a newly elected president to secure a compliant supermajority.

Parliamentary oversight would thus be weakened. The main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party and former President Abdulla Yameen contend that staggered elections allow voters to assess a president's early performance and then elect a parliament that can hold the executive accountable. Merging the elections would eliminate this mid-term check on presidential power, Yameen suggested at a meeting of his People's National Front on Sunday night. 

If a president performs poorly in their first months, voters can respond by electing opposition MPs who will provide oversight, he argued, whereas merging the elections would eliminate this safeguard.

Both Yameen and the MDP dismissed the cost-saving argument. If reducing expenses were the priority, the government could consolidate all elections, Yameen suggested. President Muizzu's frequent domestic travel costs more than several elections combined, he claimed.

Former MDP chairman Fayyaz Ismail said the government has shown little interest in cutting costs elsewhere, questioning why fiscal discipline suddenly matters when it comes to elections. He suggested voters should be wary of reforms framed around saving money that happen to also concentrate political power.

Fayyaz proposed staggered elections with half of MPs elected at the same time as the president and the rest during a mid-term election, which would strengthen checks and balances, and offer voters "an opportunity to make a decision based on the government's performance."

Having the other half of parliament facing voters mid-term would give citizens a regular opportunity to respond to government performance, he said. This would be similar to the US system of mid-term congressional elections.

Former President Mohamed Nasheed – who is allied with Fayyaz in the MDP's factional strife – was the lone opposition voice in backing the amendments. 

"This is a sinister scheme cunningly devised to strip away the most powerful fundamental right guaranteed to the people by the constitution, the power of the vote!" tweeted MDP president Abdulla Shahid.

"MDP does not support combining the two elections," Hanimaadhoo MP Abdul Ghafoor Moosa, the main opposition party's interim chairman, declared during Monday's debate. 

The proposal needs to be properly studied through the Maldives National University, the veteran lawmaker suggested. 

The cost-cutting rationale was belied by the government's hiring spree, he continued, referring to an announcement to hire 500 employees for the public works division of the local government ministry, which would add MVR 72 million annually to recurrent expenditure. The state's wage bill has grown from MVR 11 billion under the previous administration to MVR 17 billion, the MP for Hanimaadhoo said, attributing the increase to salaries and allowances for 4,100 political appointees in addition to the bloated workforces of state-owned enterprises.  

"That's why I'm saying this is not being done with good intentions. This is a big atrocity being carried out to take the country into autocratic rule," Ghafoor said.

Meanwhile, as the speaker announced his intention to schedule more sittings during recess, citing a petition by 31 PNC MPs to complete tasks pending at committees, the MDP's 12-member parliamentary group announced that it will boycott the Majlis.

Both Ghafoor and Fayyaz backed merging the presidential election and local council elections. This would be a better reform if the genuine goal is saving money, they said. Both involve electing representatives to deliver services, one at the national level, one at the island level. The parliamentary election could be preserved as a separate accountability mechanism while still reducing costs.

Fayyaz also proposed reducing the size of parliament by abolishing the constitutional requirement for one constituency per 5,000 residents. Larger constituencies with bigger populations would produce higher-quality MPs, he argued, and restore meaningful power to the legislature.

This was a concern raised by civil society observers. A report by the Westminster Foundation for Democracy found that vote-buying is already widespread in Maldivian elections. To secure a parliament seat, candidates allegedly spend between MVR 2 million and MVR 15 million on campaigns.

Transparency Maldives warned that rushing through electoral changes without proper safeguards could exacerbate abuses, stressing the importance of a transparent referendum process with adequate civic education.

If both elections are held together without strengthened oversight, opportunities for vote-buying and the abuse of state resources could multiply rather than diminish, the NGO warned.