The Parliament has approved a bill to hold elections 10 days after the fasting month of Ramadan.
The amendment to the General Elections Act was proposed by Ihavandhoo MP Mohamed Shifau. He proposed to hold voting 10 days after Ramadan if an election coincides with the fasting month.
The bill was passed by the floor today without any further changes as decided by the special committee that studied the matter. Forty-six members voted in favor while three members voted against it.
The bill was studied by a five-member special committee.
EC Vice President Ismail Habeeb who was summoned to a committee meeting earlier 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.
The parliamentary elections were initially 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.
The EC earlier said the commission is ready to hold parliamentary elections after the month of Ramadan if the law is amended.
With the amendment to the General Elections Act, the parliamentary elections must now be held after April 20.
