Parliament accepts bill to shorten term, align elections
The amendment was moved by Majority Leader Ibrahim Falah during an extraordinary sitting of parliament, which is currently in recess.
The People’s Majlis on Monday accepted a constitutional amendment to shorten the five-year term of the current parliament and to hold the next parliamentary and presidential elections on the same date.
The amendment was moved by Majority Leader Ibrahim Falah during an extraordinary sitting of parliament, which is currently in recess.
The first reading of the bill was held on Monday, followed by a preliminary debate. At the conclusion of the debate, 46 members voted in favour of accepting the bill, while five members voted against it.
As an additional provision to Article 72 of the Constitution, which governs the election of members of parliament, the amendment proposes that parliamentary elections be held at the same time as presidential elections.
If the amendment is passed and comes into effect, the 2028 presidential election and the 2029 parliamentary election would be held on the same date. The bill also proposes shortening the term of the current parliament to December.
Falah, who also leads the parliamentary group of the ruling People’s National Congress, said the amendment would be implemented following a public referendum. He said the referendum would be held alongside upcoming local council elections.
Members speaking on behalf of the Maldivian Democratic Party opposed the bill. Interim MDP chair and Hanimaadhoo MP Abdul Ghafoor Moosa said the party did not support the proposal.
Two additional bills were introduced during Monday’s sitting. These were an amendment to the Pensions Act to allow early withdrawals in cases of terminal illness, and an amendment to the Penal Code to criminalise gambling.
Both bills were accepted and referred to the relevant parliamentary committees for consideration.
