Nasheed backs preferential voting in presidential election
The government has framed the change as a measure to streamline the electoral process and reduce expenditure.
Top Stories
Former President Mohamed Nashee has expressed support for a preferential voting system and a one-round presidential election.
In a post on social media platform ‘X’ Sunday, Nasheed stated, “If with preferential voting, I also think that the one-round vote and the formation of a government is a good idea.”
President Mohamed Muizzu had earlier announced plans to replace the current two-round presidential election format with a one-round system based on preferential voting. The government is preparing to hold a referendum on this proposal later this year and is seeking support from Members of Parliament (MPs) to implement the changes.
Government supporters have begun promoting the proposal on social media, stating that a single-round election under a preferential voting system could reduce costs and ensure that the elected president secures the support of more than 50 percent of the voters.
The administration is also working towards holding parliamentary and presidential elections simultaneously. The President has requested cooperation from MPs to make the necessary changes.
Preferential voting systems are in use in several democratic countries. Under this system, voters rank candidates in order of preference.
How Preferential Voting Works:
-
Voters rank candidates numerically: ‘1’ for the most preferred candidate, ‘2’ for the next preferred, and so on.
-
If a candidate receives more than 50 percent of first-preference votes (‘1’ rankings), they are declared the winner.
-
If no candidate secures a majority in the first round, the candidate with the fewest first-preference votes is eliminated. The second preferences on those ballots are then added to the remaining candidates’ totals.
-
The process continues until a candidate obtains more than 50 percent of the valid votes.
The government has framed the change as a measure to streamline the electoral process and reduce expenditure.
