President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has announced plans to introduce a series of constitutional reforms aimed at streamlining the governance system and tackling the increasing number of seats in the People’s Majlis.

Speaking at a press briefing on Monday, the President highlighted the current requirement of allocating one parliamentary seat for every 5,000 residents. He noted that this formula has contributed to the increase in the number of seats from approximately 70 to 93, with further growth expected as the population rises.

President Dr Muizzu described the trend as unsustainable and confirmed that an amendment bill will be submitted to reduce the number of members in the legislature.

The proposed reforms also include the introduction of demographic quotas within the People’s Majlis. Under the amendment, a specific percentage of seats will be allocated to women, while another portion will be reserved for representatives under the age of 30.

He stated that these changes are expected to be informed by the outcome of the upcoming referendum on holding concurrent presidential and parliamentary elections.

In addition, the President outlined further electoral reforms under consideration. These include introducing a preferential voting system to remove the need for a second round of voting, as well as adjusting the start date of the presidential term from November 17 to November 11.