Attorney General Uz Ahmed Usham has said there is no legal obstacle to holding a public referendum on merging the presidential and parliamentary elections.

The Attorney General made the remarks while addressing the Independent Institutions Committee of the People’s Majlis on the proposed constitutional amendment to align the two elections.

Uz Usham said the proposal carries several benefits and stressed that the bill was introduced by the Government following extensive discussion. He said there are no legal barriers preventing such a referendum from being held.

Referring to procedural requirements, Uz Usham said the Elections Commission must be provided with at least 45 days to conduct a referendum, as stipulated under the Public Referendum Act. He said the most cost-effective option would be to hold the public vote together with the upcoming Local Council and Women’s Development Committee elections, once the legally required notice period has elapsed.

Uz Usham said holding the referendum on the same date as the council elections would not contravene the law. He added that the Elections Commission has highlighted that conducting the referendum on a separate date would result in significantly higher costs.

The Attorney General also rejected arguments that presidential and parliamentary elections should not be merged on the basis that Parliament requires six months to hold an incoming government accountable. He said six months is not an appropriate or sufficient period to assess a government’s performance.

Noting provisions of the Constitution of the Maldives, Uz Usham said the Constitution stipulates that the first parliamentary elections be held on 25 February. He added that it was never the intention of the constitutional amendment to delay elections or hold them on different dates unnecessarily.