Parliament passes referendum bill with regional vote provision

Parliament on Monday passed the Public Referendum Bill, which allows referendums to be held not only at the national level but also among people of specific regions of the Maldives.

The bill, introduced last July by Inguraidhoo MP and PNC Parliamentary Group Leader Ibrahim Falaah on behalf of the government, was passed with 64 votes in favour and 12 against, out of 76 members present.

The Independent Institutions Committee made several amendments before the final vote. Seven main changes were made, though the core of the bill remained intact.

One key amendment was to Article 4, which now states that the President may decide to hold a referendum on matters of national importance or on issues relating to a particular area, if he considers it necessary to consult the public.

Further amendments clarified Parliament’s role in initiating referendums. The revised version requires that referendums be determined by a resolution passed by a majority of the total number of members of the Parliament, while cases where Parliament is obliged to hold a referendum must be approved by a majority of members present and voting.

Other provisions include:

President Mohamed Muizzu has previously outlined plans to seek public opinion through referendums, including proposals to abolish the second round of presidential elections, introduce a preferential voting system, hold presidential and parliamentary elections on the same date, and change the swearing-in date for the presidency to 11 November.