Parliament asks EC to hold govt system referendum by Oct 30
The resolution, which called for the parliament to directly ask the Elections Commission to hold the referendum, was passed with MDP's backing as well.
Parliament on Thursday sent to the Elections Commission a resolution passed at Wednesday's sitting seeking a referendum on the system of governance in Maldives by October 30.
The Democrats, led by speaker Mohamed Nasheed who has always advocated for a parliamentary system, submitted the resolution to the parliament seeking a referendum before October 30 on the choice of governance system.
The resolution, which called for the parliament to directly ask the Elections Commission to hold the referendum, was passed with MDP's backing as well.
In a post on X, Elections Commission vice chair Ismail Habeeb confirmed the receipt of the resolution.
"The Elections Commission is now seeking legal advice on how to proceed,” he said.
Although the resolution mandated the parliament to ask the Elections Commission to hold the referendum, President Ibrahim Mohammed Solih believes:
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Referendum on governance system can be taken only after the parliament passes a motion by a three-fourth majority or with the backing of 66 out of the 87 MPs, sends motion to him, following which he can request the Elections Commission to hold a referendum
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If the resolution is passed by the parliament and sent to him, he will request the Elections Commission to take the vote before October 30, as per Ilyas's resolution, before the presidential runoff
However, Article 70 of the constitution gives parliament the power to decide to hold a referendum on important matters affecting the people.
Although the resolution submitted by Hulhudhoo MP Ilyas Labeeb calls for a referendum before October 30, the interim council of the Democrats to which Ilyas belongs passed a motion on Monday to condition an alliance with the ruling MDP in the presidential runoff slated for September 30 on holding a referendum on the choice of governance system before September 28.
The Democrats on Thursday decided not to support any candidate in the second round of the presidential election after the MDP and PPM-PNC failed to respond to their demands by the deadline.
