People’s National Congress (PNC) Parliamentary Group Leader Ibrahim Falah has stated that conducting the presidential and parliamentary elections on the same day would substantially boost voter turnout, estimating that participation could rise to between 80 and 90 per cent nationwide.

Falah made the remarks while speaking at the inauguration of the Malé area campaign office of Thinadhoo City. He said merging the two elections would not only strengthen public participation but also save an estimated MVR 80 million annually from the state budget.

He noted that when elections are held frequently within short intervals, voters tend to experience fatigue. In contrast, he said, conducting both elections on the same day would motivate a larger share of the population to take part in the democratic process.

He added that many larger countries conduct presidential and parliamentary elections simultaneously, highlighting what he described as the advantages of such an approach.

Falah also called on the public to vote in favour of the proposal in the referendum scheduled for 4 April, which seeks public opinion on amending the Constitution to enable the presidential and parliament elections to be held concurrently and to clarify the parliamentary term.

He further stated that the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) was not putting significant effort into the Local Council Elections and claimed that its focus was instead on influencing the vote related to combining the two national elections.

The referendum has been scheduled for 4 April, the same day the Elections Commission has set for the Local Council and Women’s Development Committee elections.