Shahid warns merger of elections would limit public voice
He said that holding the elections on the same date would change two separate opportunities to vote into a single one.
MDP President Abdulla Shahid said on Thursday that merging the presidential and parliamentary elections, as proposed by the government, would leave the public with only one opportunity to express its views through the ballot.
Speaking at the 32nd meeting of the Maldivian Democratic Party National Assembly, Shahid said the proposal to merge the two elections would reduce opportunities for public participation. He said that holding the elections on the same date would change two separate opportunities to vote into a single one.
Shahid said that during the past two and a half years, steps have been taken that limit avenues for public expression, and that the proposed amendment followed the same pattern.
“If the presidential and parliamentary elections are combined, people will speak once in five years and then have no further opportunity to express their views on the government,” he said.
He also criticised the process followed to advance the proposal, stating that the work of the relevant committee was completed within a short period. He said there had been no adequate effort to inform or educate the public about the proposed change.
The MDP National Assembly also approved a resolution to proceed with street actions opposing the constitutional amendment to merge the presidential and parliamentary elections.
