The people will lose the opportunity to hold the government accountable if the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) does not win the upcoming local council elections, Galolhu South MP Meekail Naseem has warned.

Speaking at an MDP gathering on Thursday night (January 29), Meekail said President Mohamed Muizzu was deceiving the people by claiming that development projects would be carried out by electing ruling People's National Congress (PNC) candidates.

He further said that this is the last chance to maintain the accountability system that the MDP had established in the Maldives after making many sacrifices.

"So, if our candidates, our party doesn't get a majority in the councils in this election, we're going to lose the chance to hold this government accountable in the future," Meekail said.

All MDP members and senior leaders should work together to ensure that this opportunity is not lost, he said, adding that this election should be seen as an important election.

Meekail also said the government is trying to hold a public referendum to merge the presidential election and parliamentary election.

He said the government plans to approve the bill soon and hold the referendum along with the local council election. He called on the MDP and the people to be vigilant.