President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu is seeking the advice of Attorney General Ahmed Usham over a bill on postponing parliamentary elections which was reapproved by the Parliament and sent for ratification.
Speaking in Noonu Kendhikulhudhoo, Muizzu reiterated that he would not act in contravention of the Constitution but referred to a Supreme Court ruling that said Parliament's decision to count its total membership without vacant seats was unconstitutional.
"Any decision taken on the basis of 80 MPs will be unconstitutional. The Supreme Court ruled that the Parliament has 87 MPs. So I have now asked the Attorney General for legal advice," he said.
However, Article 91 (b) of the Constitution states that if a bill returned by the President is passed by a majority without any changes, it shall be ratified by the President and published in the Government Gazette."
"When the Elections Commission raised the matter informally, I told them to hold the vote before Ramadan if it is not against the Constitution and laws. Even if it is one day before Ramadan. Then they [EC] proposed to the Parliament," Muizzu said.
The rule of law must prevail in Maldives and he does not see this as a political issue, Muizzu said, adding that he wanted the election to be held before Ramadan.
The Parliament first approved the bill on February 11 to hold voting 10 days after Ramadan if an election coincides with the fasting month.
Ramadan begins on March 10 this year while the Elections Commission (EC) has scheduled the parliamentary polls for March 17.
If the amendment to the General Elections Act is ratified, the polls will be postponed for a date after April 20.
