A bill has been submitted to amend the Constitution to enable presidential and parliamentary elections to be held concurrently, through an adjustment to the term of Parliament.

The constitutional amendment bill was sponsored by the Member of Parliament for the Inguraidhoo constituency, Ibrahim Falah, on behalf of the Government. Debate on the bill is scheduled to take place during an extraordinary sitting of Parliament on Monday.

Under the proposed amendment, elections for Members of Parliament would be held at the same time as the presidential election, in accordance with Article 110 of the Constitution. The bill also introduces changes to the method of calculating the parliamentary term.

The legislation stipulates that the term of Parliament shall be five years, commencing on 1 December, and that Parliament shall stand dissolved upon the expiry of this period. It further provides that the first sitting of a newly elected Parliament would be held on 1 December following the dissolution of the outgoing legislature, with elections conducted in accordance with the amended provisions.

In addition, the bill specifies that the term of the current 20th Parliament will expire on 1 December 2028, with parliamentary elections and the first sitting of the new Parliament to be held accordingly. Under the existing Constitution, the term of the 20th Parliament is set to expire in 2029.

Calls to align presidential and parliamentary elections have been made for several years, with proponents arguing that holding both elections simultaneously would increase voter turnout and significantly reduce election-related costs.

The short interval between the two elections has been cited as a major contributor to increased State expenditure and administrative pressure. Overlapping election schedules have also placed a substantial burden on the Elections Commission, political parties, candidates, and voters. The Elections Commission has previously recommended to successive Governments that presidential and parliamentary elections be conducted concurrently in order to address these challenges.