Parliament’s Resolution Unclear on Governance System Change Vote Question, Says ECM

The Election Commission of Maldives (ECM) has expressed uncertainty regarding the formulation of the voting question concerning the country’s governance system, in the press conference held today.

Ismail Habeeb, Vice-President of the Commission, stated that the clarity of the question for both visible and invisible general elections remains elusive.

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Habeeb emphasised the need for Parliament to delineate the specific query to be posed to the people. 

He remarked, “Now we have told the Parliament what question should we ask the People? Please pass it through parliament and send it to ECM.”

Furthermore, Habeeb stressed the importance of providing additional information along with the question. He highlighted that the purpose of the question and its potential outcomes should be transparent to the electorate before they cast their votes. 

He noted, “With that question, you need other information, there may be arguments on that question, the advantages and disadvantages; when you go to the polls, you have to know why you have to vote. We have to make that information public.”

The resolution passed with overwhelming support, as 35 votes were cast in favor, and none opposed it. The parliamentary resolution was enacted under Article 70 of the Constitution, granting Parliament the authority to hold a general referendum. 

The resolution called for a systematic vote to be conducted before the end of the next month, although ECM has not specified a precise date in its communication.

The Democrats have been a proponent of a parliamentary system of government. One of the key reasons cited is the historical inability to elect a president in the first round of any presidential election in Maldives under the current system.

Previously, in 2007, former President Nasheed and the Maldives Democratic Party (MDP) supported a parliamentary system in an invisible vote. The call for a system change continued during Nasheed’s presidency.

During the lead-up to the 2018 presidential election, MDP proposed governance system changes. However, differences of opinion among coalition partners led to the omission of this proposal from the coalition manifesto.

Since President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih took office, he and his supporters within MDP have advocated maintaining the presidential system. One of the notable points of contention between President Solih and Nasheed has been the issue of the governance system.