Spoke with Nasheed on system referendum regardless of runoff outcome, pres says
If a referendum is held, it will be take place after Saturday's runoff, but before the winner is sworn in as president.
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Discussions were held with speaker Mohamed Nasheed on Sunday about not advocating for a referendum on the system of governance at the moment, but to begin the process despite the outcome of the September 30 runoff, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has said.
President Solih and Nasheed met at the Presidential Office Sunday morning.
After the meeting, the president told Atoll Times that the two discussed the political situation in Maldives.
“One of them is how to proceed with the referendum on the system of governance as passed by parliament the other day, and the second round of the presidential election,” he said.
“[It was discussed] not to talk about [the referendum on the system of governance] now, not to talk about it before the end of the second round of voting, and to start and proceed the work no matter what the outcome of the runoff is."
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 Elections Commission (EC) has since requested the parliament to determine and provide the question to be asked of the people in the public referendum seeking views on changing the country's governance system.
If a referendum is held, it will be take place after Saturday's runoff, but before the winner is sworn in as president.
Nasheed was a close friend of President Solih before he came to power, but the two have not spoken for many months due to their political differences.
The differences escalated, with Nasheed resigning from the MDP after his defeat in the MDP presidential primary in January and forming a new party called The Democrats. He is working politically against President Solih through the party.
Results of the September 9 election show main opposition PPM-PNC's Dr Mohamed Muizz leading the polls with 46%, while President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih secured 39%.
To win outright, a candidate needs more than 50% of the votes. Based on the results, a runoff between the top two contenders will take place on September 30.
