EC says referendum with council polls would cost extra MVR 20 million
Local council elections and Women’s Development Committee elections are scheduled to be held on 4 April.
An additional MVR 20 million would be required if a referendum to merge parliamentary and presidential elections is held on the same day as the upcoming local council elections, according to Elections Commission chairman Mohamed Zahid.
Local council elections and Women’s Development Committee elections are scheduled to be held on 4 April. The government is also considering holding a referendum on the same day to decide whether presidential and parliamentary elections should be conducted together.
The proposed constitutional amendment to merge the two elections is currently at the committee stage. On Monday, the Independent Institutions Committee met with the Attorney General’s Office, political parties and the Elections Commission to seek views on the bill.
Speaking at the meeting, Zahid said the Elections Commission would carry out its responsibilities if Parliament amends the law and would cooperate fully with the process. He noted, however, that the law requires a minimum preparation period of 45 days.
He said that if the referendum is held together with the local council and Women’s Development Committee elections, the Elections Commission would require an additional MVR 20 million.
Zahid said the increased cost would arise from the need to print additional ballot papers, recruit more election officials and provide allowances due to increased workload, and distribute extra ballot boxes to islands for the referendum. He added that based on previous experience, chartering flights at short notice to transport election materials could further increase costs.
He said that even if the referendum were held separately, it would still cost between MVR 60 million and MVR 80 million.
Zahid also said that merging parliamentary and presidential elections would bring changes to the political environment in the Maldives. He urged the government to complete any constitutional amendments in a timely manner and allow sufficient time for public awareness ahead of a referendum.
“If this process is to move forward within a short timeframe, Parliament must amend the Constitution as soon as possible, and a resolution must be issued by Parliament or the President to enable the Elections Commission to proceed,” Zahid said.
The government has proposed a constitutional amendment to shorten the term of the current 20th Parliament to 1 December 2028 and to merge parliamentary and presidential elections, stating that this would save the state budget MVR 80 million.
If the amendment is passed and comes into force, the presidential election scheduled for 2028 and the parliamentary election scheduled for 2029 would be held on the same date. The current 20th Parliament began its term on 28 May 2024 and, under the existing Constitution, its five-year term is due to expire in May 2029. The proposed amendment would revise the term to run for five years from 1 December, after which Parliament would be dissolved.
