Former Chairperson of the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) Fayyaz Ismail has said that the current government does not have the mandate to make further changes to the constitution as the people voted overwhelmingly no to the government's proposal to amend the constitution to merge the presidential and parliamentary elections.
In a post on social media X on Monday night, Fayyaz said the referendum proved that the people of Maldives will defend the constitution and democracy.
"The people have said no to this government with 70 percent of the vote in the referendum. This government does not have a mandate to make further changes to the constitution. The changes already made should also be withdrawn," Fayyaz said.
Despite the outcome of the vote, the people believe that major changes should be made to the constitution and the structure of governance, he said.
"We will go to the people with a paper on the changes that they have long wanted in the system of governance. We will find a way to bring these changes with discussion," Fayyaz said.
"Reform is an ongoing work, there is no pause in it."
Fayyaz added that the people handed over the council seats to the MDP in Saturday’s election because they still have hope in the party.
"The people are very unhappy with the government. This is an opportunity to gain the people's confidence. The people's hopes are tied to the MDP. It is our responsibility to ensure this flame of hope continues to grow," he said.
