The main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) today endorsed the "Big Change" paper proposed by former Economic Minister Fayyaz Ismail, aimed at restructuring the country’s governance system.
The proposal was passed with 520 votes during the MDP’s ongoing congress. With this endorsement, the "Big Change" paper has officially become the party's formal policy.
The biggest change proposed in the paper is the separation of the roles of Head of State and Head of Government. According to the document, the Head of Government would be elected through a direct popular vote, while the Head of State would be elected by a combined vote of the Parliament and local councils.
Furthermore, the "Big Change" initiative includes measures to safeguard the core principles of the Constitution and restructure the system to ensure that independent institutions and the judiciary remain free from the influence of the executive and legislative branches.
The proposal by Fayyaz and former President Mohamed Nasheed also suggests requiring public consent to remove Supreme Court justices and members of independent commissions. Additionally, the reforms seek to establish a mechanism for atoll representation in Parliament and introduce a process for the recall of Members of Parliament.
