Maldives Leader Calls Public Referendum on Merging National Elections

(MENAFN) Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu signed a presidential decree on Monday, triggering a public referendum that will ask voters whether presidential and parliamentary elections should be held simultaneously — a move that could fundamentally reshape the country's electoral calendar.

The referendum is directly tied to a constitutional amendment passed by the People's Majlis on Feb. 10, which would legally permit both elections to run concurrently while also establishing a fixed start date for parliament's term, according to a statement from the president's office. Under Maldivian law, any constitutional amendment cleared by the People's Majlis cannot be ratified by the president until it secures majority endorsement from voters in a public referendum.

Citizens will head to the polls on April 4, with the referendum set to run alongside scheduled local council and women's development committee elections — a logistical consolidation that reflects the administration's push for greater electoral efficiency. The decree formally directs the country's election commission to put in place all necessary arrangements to conduct the referendum in strict accordance with the law.

The proposed change comes against the backdrop of two recently held national elections — a presidential vote in September 2023 and a parliamentary election in April 2024 — both of which were conducted separately under the current framework. Muizzu's ruling People's National Congress currently commands a dominant position in the legislature, holding 68 of 93 seats in the People's Majlis, giving the administration considerable weight in driving the proposed constitutional shift forward.

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