Committee approves bill to synchronize two elections, in just five minutes
The bill was passed exactly as proposed without any amendments, receiving unanimous support from all members present except for MP Meekail.
Members participate in a meeting of the Committee on Independent Institutions held on Monday. | Majlis | Majlis
The Parliament’s Committee on Independent Institutions has passed a government-proposed bill to synchronize parliamentary and presidential elections in a session lasting just five minutes.
This bill was introduced by Ibrahim Falah, the Parliamentary Group Leader of the People's National Congress (PNC), the ruling party under President Muizzu's administration.
The government's proposal includes synchronizing the two elections and shortening the term of the current 20th Parliament. The bill to amend the Constitution to reflect these changes was passed by Parliament exactly as submitted by the government, without any further amendments.
The committee meeting was chaired by Hussain Riza Adam, Member for Maafushi and Chairperson of the Independent Institutions Committee. Other attendees included Ali Ibrahim (Henveiru West), Ashraf Rasheed (Faresmaathodaa), Ibrahim Shujau (Baarah), Abdul Latheef Mohamed (Dhidhdhoo), and Ibrahim Hussain (Fuvahmulah South). The bill was passed with the unanimous support of all members present, with the sole exception of Meekail Ahmed Naseem, the MDP member representing Galolhu South.
The proposed constitutional amendment stipulates that parliamentary elections must be held concurrently with the presidential election conducted under Article 110 of the Constitution.
Once this amendment is ratified, the term of the 20th Parliament will conclude on December 1, 2028. As a result, the current term of the 20th Parliament will be shortened by six months.
Previously, the term of the People's Majlis was defined as five years starting from the date of its inaugural session following a general election. However, under the proposed amendment, the five-year term will instead be calculated commencing from the 1st of December.
The rapid progress of this bill is believed to be aimed at facilitating a referendum on holding synchronized elections, to be conducted alongside the local council elections scheduled for April. The Elections Commission has previously stated that a referendum could only be held concurrently with the April elections if the necessary legal amendments are ratified by February 18. If the bill is passed as approved by the committee without further amendments, the 2028 parliamentary and presidential elections will be held simultaneously.
