Referendum on concurrent elections to be held alongside local council polls prior to ratification of bill
The referendum is scheduled to coincide with the Local Council Elections on April 4, 2026, and the bill will be ratified only if it secures a majority of the votes cast. To facilitate this process, the necessary procedures have already been submitted to the Elections Commission for implementation.
A decision has been made to hold a referendum on the synchronization of two separate elections, with the vote scheduled to take place alongside the upcoming local council elections. | Elections Commission | Elections Commission
The President has issued a decree to hold a public referendum before ratifying the "8th Amendment to the Constitution of the Republic of Maldives." This amendment proposes to hold presidential and parliamentary elections simultaneously and seeks to define the procedures for determining the term of the People’s Majlis.
The President's Office stated that the amendments included in this bill require a public referendum before they can be ratified by the President. This process is mandated under Article 262(b) of the Constitution and Section 5(a) of Law No. 15/2025 (Referendum Act), which requires the President to seek public approval to determine if the citizenry consents to such constitutional changes.
Pursuant to Article 262 (b) of the Constitution, should the People’s Majlis pass a bill containing these amendments, the President shall only grant ratification if the proposed changes are approved by a majority of voters in a public referendum held to determine the people's consent.
The President's Office stated that pursuant to Section 31 of Law No. 15/2025 (Referendum Act), if a majority of voters in a public referendum favor a proposed amendment, the President must ratify and publish the bill in the Government Gazette within 15 (fifteen) days of the official results being announced. Conversely, the law stipulates that the bill will be voided if it fails to secure a majority of votes in the referendum.
The question proposed for public consultation is:
"Do you favor the President granting ratification to the 'Bill on the 8th Amendment to the Constitution,' passed by the People's Majlis, which seeks to mandate holding presidential and parliamentary elections simultaneously and to define the criteria for determining the term of the People's Majlis?"
According to the Presidential Decree, the date scheduled for the public referendum coincides with the "Local Council and Women's Development Committee Elections 2026," which the Elections Commission has announced will take place on Saturday, April 4, 2026.
The President's Office has announced that Presidential Decree No. 2/2026, regarding the public referendum on the 8th Amendment to the Constitution of the Republic of Maldives, has been published in the Government Gazette. Following this publication, the matter has been formally submitted to the Elections Commission to proceed with the referendum in accordance with the law.
