President says MDP wants governance changes because 'too many want to rule'
He argued that the proposal to separate the two leadership roles was intended to create additional senior positions.
President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has criticised the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party's (MDP) proposal to reform the country's system of government, saying the initiative is driven by the number of people within the party who want to hold leadership positions.
Former President Mohamed Nasheed and former Economic Minister Fayyaz Ismail recently launched the MDP's "Bodu Badhalu" (Great Change) agenda, which proposes constitutional reforms, including separating the roles of Head of State and Head of Government.
Under the proposal, the Head of Government would be elected by a direct public vote and held accountable to the People's Majlis, while the Head of State would be elected by a majority of elected officials, with the public retaining the power to remove the office holder.
President Muizzu commented on the proposal during an interview on PSM's Nation Chat programme on Thursday, following Nasheed's election as MDP chairperson earlier this month.
"What is actually happening is that there are too many people among them who desire to rule," the President said.
He argued that the proposal to separate the two leadership roles was intended to create additional senior positions.
"They'll give them titles like President, Prime Minister, or maybe something else entirely. If they could, they would probably even try to bring back the position of King," he said.
The President said he did not believe there was any need to change the current system of government.
"There is no need to change the system. I believe the people will move forward with the current format," he said.
President Muizzu also referred to the 2007 constitutional referendum, in which voters chose to adopt a presidential system.
He said the public had supported the presidential model because they believed it would provide stability and ensure that the Head of Government could not be replaced without a direct public mandate.
"This system was decided exactly the way the citizens wanted it," the President said.
He added that, given the Maldives' population size, he believes most people would not support changes that could alter the country's existing unitary system of government.
President Muizzu is the fifth President to serve under the Constitution adopted in 2008.
