President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has said that a public referendum will be held on holding the presidential and parliamentary elections at the same time, to ensure that a presidential election winner can be named in a single round and to change the date to end the presidential term to November 11.
Speaking at the Republic Day ceremony on Sunday night, Muizzu said he wants to change the date to end the presidential term to November 11 even if that means he will be in office for one less week. But he noted that this change can be brought only through a public referendum.
"Even the honorable MPs cannot decide. We have to go to the people. We have to ask the people to change the date to the Republic Day, which means the end of this term to November 11, 2028," he said.
November 11 is celebrated as Republic Day because the second President of the Republic of Maldives Ibrahim Nasir was sworn in on November 11, 1968.
Since then, a new term of office begins every five years on November 11. However, the date was changed after the 2013 presidential election due to cases filed in the courts. As a result, former President Abdulla Yameen was sworn in on November 17, 2013.
President Muizzu said the main reason to hold the presidential and parliamentary elections together is to reduce costs.
"If the people want it, there will be a parliamentary election with the next presidential election. So I will call for a referendum for that as well," he said.
He added that a referendum will also be held to elect a president through one round of voting by declaring the candidate with the most votes as the winner.
The Attorney General's Office is conducting research on the matter and intends to go for a referendum if necessary, he said.
“It is important to ask the people about such important issues,” he said.
No candidate has won the elections in a single round of the four elections held since the new constitution came into force in 2008. According to the law, the presidential election must be won with more than 50 percent of the vote.
However, the President's suggestion means the election can be won even if the candidate gets less than 50 percent of the votes.
The most recent public referendum held in the Maldives was a vote to choose between the presidential system and the parliamentary system.
