At a special sitting convened during recess, parliament concluded debate and accepted constitutional amendments proposed by the government to hold the presidential and parliamentary elections concurrently. The bill was sent to the independent institutions committee, which invited public feedback by a deadline of January 15. The committee decided to conclude its review on the same day. A public referendum to approve the changes will be held together with the local council elections on April 4, Majority Leader Ibrahim Falah said during Monday's debate, defending the expedited legislative process. MDP MP Abdul Gafoor Moosa, interim chairman of the main opposition party, argued that parliamentary elections should be held mid-term, while local council and presidential elections could be merged. Former President Yameen also opposed the changes, echoing the MDP's concerns about accountability.
Extraordinary sittings of parliament will be scheduled over the coming days upon request by 31 MPs from the ruling PNC to complete five pending tasks at the committee stage, Speaker Abdul Raheem Abdulla said. The only item on the agenda for Tuesday's sitting is voting on President Muizzu’s nominee to chair the Human Rights Commission of Maldives, Dr Aishath Rameela, the former animal welfare minister, who had been appointed to the watchdog on December 3. The opposition MDP's 12-member parliamentary group decided to boycott the current sittings in protest, calling them "unlawful and unconstitutional." Parliament was recalled without adequate notice while there was "no urgency or constitutional crisis to justify these undemocratic actions, which deny the people their right to representation," MP Mohamed Ibrahim said.
Finance Minister Zameer denied the alleged sale of the new commercial harbour to be developed in Thilafushi to Dubai Ports World. Speaking at a ceremony to inaugurate land reclamation to develop an airport in Haa Alif Dhidhdhoo, Zameer said the government receives proposals for investment but President Muizzu would not make any decision that would be detrimental to the nation. The remarks came after former President Yameen accused the government of planning to "sell" the Thilafushi port to DP World. Former President Nasheed also tweeted about rumours of the impending privatisation of ports and airports. Such contracts should only be awarded after a competitive and transparent bidding process, he said. A US$ 255 million project to relocate the country's main port from Malé to the industrial island of Thilafushi – which is due to be connected to the capital via the Thilamalé bridge currently under construction – is underway with the Maldives Ports Limited expecting the first phase to be completed next year.
The criminal court estimated that the trials of defendants who have been detained for more than a year will be concluded in 2026. According to a paper published with statistics from 2025, there were 128 people in "vaanuvaa" or indefinite detention for trial at the end of last year, down from 272 people at the start of the year. Based on the current speed of trials after relocation to a spacious new courthouse in Hulhumalé, none of these suspects will remain in custody by the end of 2026, the court said. There was "no doubt that this is an achievable target". A total of 1,062 cases were filed in 2025 and assigned to 11 judges, each of whom heard more than 100 cases throughout the year. Judge Ali Nadeem was the most productive with 302 cases concluded while Judge Adam Faiz was ranked bottom with 56 cases. The court completed 1,380 cases in 2025, up from 649 cases in 2024.
Police searched the apartment of Hussain Sunny Umar, who was detained last week for trial on charges of child sexual abuse. Sunny, a co-founder of The Travel Guys and several tourism publications, is accused of sexually abusing children from his wife's family over the past decade. When police officers took Sunny to search the residence in his presence, members of his wife's family protested and accused police of allowing him to flee the country in December following his initial arrest. Video footage showed police officers surrounding Sunny as residents attempted to hit him when he was escorted back into a police vehicle. Police had been looking for a missing phone and laptop, Adhadhu reported.
The MDP accused the ruling party of pressuring opposition candidates ahead of the upcoming local council elections, alleging threats against candidates employed at state-owned enterprises and financial inducements offered to others. The MDP's primaries, scheduled for January 16, will be open to more than 14,000 eligible members, according to former MP Mohamed Rasheed Hussain 'Bigey,' who chairs the party's elections committee. Members who left the party to vote in the ruling PNC’s primaries and later rejoined would not be eligible to vote, he said.
Progress has been made in resolving the persistent medicine shortage, Health Minister Abdulla Nazim Ibrahim insisted at a press briefing, despite ongoing complaints about the unavailability of essential medicine from both government-run and private pharmacies. The minister conceded that the problem has not been "100 percent solved", but stressed measures taken to increase supplies, formulate new treatment guidelines and address administrative shortcomings within the Aaasandha health insurance scheme. STO has increased its supply from 200 types to 800 or 900 types, he said. But the main challenge remains patients seeking a specific brand, the minister said, urging doctors to prescribe generic medication when substitutes are available.
The Leiv Erikiksson, one of the world's largest trailing suction hopper dredgers, was deployed to reclaim 112 hectares of land in Haa Alif Dhidhdhoo. "This project will support airport development, housing initiatives, and the provision of essential community services," according to the Maldives Airports Company Ltd. In an op-ed on Dhauru, editor Moosa Latheef – a Dhidhdhoo native – questioned whether the airport justifies destroying the island's lagoon while the Hanimaadhoo airport is just 20 minutes away by speedboat.
Two suspects, Shain Ali, 27, and Aishath Masha Ahmed, 20, were arrested with more than 3kg of drugs after police raided an apartment in Malé.
The government will intervene to control the prices of 23 essential food items, including rice, flour and sugar as well as 10 types of vegetables and 10 types of fruits, all of which will be sold by STO at affordable rates, Economic Development Minister Mohamed Saeed said on the second episode of a new podcast with President's Office Spokeswoman Heena Waleed.
A dead body found floating near Raa Kinolhas was too decomposed to identify the sex of the deceased individual, police said. Forensic samples are being processed for further investigation.
