Parliament Approves Legislation to Postpone Parliamentary Elections Despite Muizzu Rejection
The Parliament has made a decisive move by passing legislation aimed at postponing the upcoming parliamentary elections for a second time, just two days following the rejection of the bill by President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu.
The scheduled date for the parliamentary elections is March 17th, coinciding with the first week of Ramadan. This timing has prompted discussions and legal considerations, particularly concerning the Elections Act, which mandates that the Elections Commission of Maldives (ECM) must initiate the election process at least 120 days before the incumbent parliamentary assembly’s term ends, which is on May 28th.
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In order to accommodate the elections before or during Ramadan, legal adjustments were deemed necessary. The ECM had advocated for legal reforms to facilitate holding the elections before Ramadan. However, the Parliament, where the main opposition MDP holds a majority, rejected this proposal. Instead, they opted to schedule the elections after Ramadan and introduced legislation prohibiting national elections during Ramadan.
The bill stipulates that if an election falls within Ramadan, it must be held 10 days after Ramadan concludes. Despite being initially passed on February 11, the bill faced rejection by the president two weeks later on Monday.
Nevertheless, the same bill has now been passed again, this time with a majority vote of 47-14, this afternoon. According to constitutional provisions, if the Parliament passes a bill that is rejected by the president for a second time without amendments and with a simple majority, the president is obligated to ratify the legislation.
The decision to set the election date during Ramadan had raised concerns among the MDP about potential low voter turnout. However, the President’s Office justified the rejection by citing concerns over certain provisions contradicting the constitution and the potential risk of eroding public confidence due to the change in the election date.
