Yameen Demands Public Referendum Over Eagle Hills Deal in Ras Malé

Former President Abdulla Yameen has demanded that the government put its Ras Malé commercial agreement with UAE developer Eagle Hills to a public referendum, asserting that President Dr Mohamed Muizzu does not possess the unilateral authority to allocate national land.

Addressing a gathering of the People’s National Front (PNF), Yameen insisted that decisions of such scale require broad legislative and cabinet consultations, alongside a direct vote to determine the public’s consent.

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“A sitting President does not have this right [to sell Ras Malé]. A President must hold major consultations on matters like this. Consultations must take place in Parliament. Consultations must take place in the Cabinet,” Yameen said.

“Beyond that, on an issue of this magnitude, what is being sold is not their family’s private home. This is not personal inheritance. What is being sold here is the future of the Maldivian people. If that is the case, the President must take this to a public referendum.”

Yameen also questioned the feasibility of retaining long-term state rights, arguing that even if terms stipulate that developed properties must revert or be sold back to the government upon lease expiry, the state would lack the financial capacity to reacquire them. He further called on Eagle Hills to abandon the initiative entirely, criticising the introduction of large-scale foreign residential developments.

The former president’s remarks come amid mounting political scrutiny of the commercial terms agreement signed on 21 September 2026 between the Ministry of Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development and Eagle Hills, which allocates 500 hectares of reclaimed land under a 99-year leasehold.

Former Vice President Faisal Naseem has similarly voiced profound concern regarding the venture, insisting that the public must be granted full disclosure on the administration’s long-term commitments. While clarifying that he does not oppose foreign investment, citing its vital contributions to the nation’s tourism sector. 

Faisal maintained that state projects must remain transparent, align with public will, and preserve state sovereignty.

The agreement also faces active legal opposition. Legal counsel and former MP Ali Hussain has requested a Supreme Court review following the Registrar’s procedural dismissal of a constitutional petition against the deal. Backed by the opposition campaign “Maldivians’ Land for Maldivians”, the petition argues that granting land without rent or acquisition fees breaches Article 250 of the Constitution, while long-term foreign lease structures contravene Article 251.

The administration has firmly defended the agreement. Ministers have stated that absolute ownership of the underlying land remains with the Maldivian state, with Eagle Hills holding rights limited exclusively to above-ground developments. 

Speaking on the President’s Office podcast The Pulse, President Muizzu affirmed that Ras Malé remains fully under Maldivian sovereignty and constitutional jurisdiction, reiterating that statutory restrictions on non-Islamic places of worship apply throughout the development just as they do across the country.