Solih says combined elections could affect President Muizzu in 2028

Former president Ibrahim Mohamed Solih said on Saturday that holding presidential and parliamentary elections on the same date could affect President Mohamed Muizzu in the future.

The People's Majlis recently passed a constitutional amendment to shorten the term of the current 20th Parliament to 1 December 2028 and hold parliamentary and presidential elections together.

The amendment requires approval through a referendum before it can take effect. The referendum will be held on the same day as the local council elections on the 4th of next month.

If approved, the presidential election scheduled for 2028 and the parliamentary election scheduled for 2029 would be held on the same date.

Solih made the remarks while speaking at a campaign rally organised by the Maldivian Democratic Party in K. Maafushi.

He said there are various views about the amendment but noted that other issues affecting the public also require attention.

Solih referred to events during the 2008 presidential election, when the MDP won the presidency while the parliamentary majority remained with former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.

He said that when the Constitution was drafted earlier, several powers were placed under the parliamentary chapter based on expectations about future election outcomes.

Solih said that when those provisions were written, he had questioned whether concentrating powers in Parliament would create difficulties for governing under a presidential system.

He said that political outcomes can change and measures designed with a particular expectation may produce different results later.

Solih also said that if the same government wins both elections in 2028, Parliament could remain aligned with the administration during the presidential term.

According to him, this could limit opportunities for the public to express views on the government during the five-year term.

Solih said the purpose of the referendum to combine the elections has not been explained clearly to the public.

He added that combining the two elections was not mentioned in President Muizzu’s manifesto and said the government should explain the implications and benefits of the proposal.

Solih said the public may not support merging the elections solely to reduce election costs estimated at MVR 60 million.

“If the two elections are combined, there will be no opportunity to express views about the government for five years. Parliament will remain with the government,” he said.