The Parliament committee has approved a bill to hold elections 10 days after the fasting month of Ramadan.
The amendments for changing the date of the parliamentary elections were proposed to the general election law by Ihavandhoo MP Mohamed Shifau.
Amendments to the general election law were proposed because the date set by the Elections Commission (EC) for the parliamentary elections falls during Ramadan.
“To bring the necessary amendments in order to find a solution to the difficulties posed by the Majlis elections coinciding with Ramadan, and to find a solution to the worrying increase in invalid votes due to the current law," Shifau noted as the reason for submitting the bill.
The bill was passed unanimously by the five-member committee.
EC Vice President Ismail Habeeb was summoned to the committee yesterday. He told MPs that very little time is available to count votes and announce results if voting is held ten days after Ramadan.
He said the election process should be completed by April 28 and the relevant institutions should be notified by then.
He noted that the EC will get only six days for the process if the voting is held on April 21.
The Constitution requires the election of new MPs 30 days before the end of the term of the current session of Parliament.
Referring to the law, Habeeb said that it is important to have some duration to resolve any issues that may arise during the election.
The parliamentary elections are now scheduled for March 17, which is the seventh day of the fasting month of Ramadan.
But several political parties have raised concerns about the date as turnout may be low and have called to hold the polls after Ramadan
