Nasheed reverses stance, says he will vote against election merger
In his message on Wednesday, Nasheed said he would support the position adopted by the party.
Top Stories
Former president Mohamed Nasheed on Wednesday said he now opposes the proposal to merge the presidential and parliamentary elections.
Nasheed communicated his position in a message sent to a WhatsApp group comprising current and former members of the National Assembly of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).
The MDP National Assembly last week passed a resolution opposing the referendum to merge the two elections. Prior to that decision, Nasheed had stated in a post on X last month that he supported holding the presidential and parliamentary elections together.
In his message on Wednesday, Nasheed said he would support the position adopted by the party.
“In the upcoming vote, whether seen or not, I am ready to support the party’s decision and vote no in the referendum,” Nasheed wrote. He is currently based in Ghana, where he serves as Secretary-General of the Climate Vulnerable Forum.
Nasheed also said that state expenditure on democracy in the Maldives is not excessive. He said one of the outcomes of a multi-party system is the establishment of a taxation framework and an increase in state revenue.
“Today, tax revenue exceeds MVR 30 billion. Holding elections and increasing public participation are key factors in development,” he said.
He further said that merging the two elections would reduce public participation and would not have public support.
Earlier this month, Parliament passed a constitutional amendment to shorten the term of the current parliament and hold the parliamentary election together with the presidential election. Under the Constitution, the amendment requires approval by voters in a referendum.
The referendum is scheduled to be held alongside the local council elections on 4 April.
The government has said the proposal is intended to reduce election-related costs. The MDP has said the move is intended to extend the term in office of President Mohamed Muizzu.
On Wednesday, the MDP filed a constitutional case at the Civil Court seeking to halt the referendum.
