Mohamed Moosa (Uhchu), the most prominent of the Champa Brothers, has called for extending the presidential term in the Maldives from the current five years to 10 or 15 years, arguing that extended terms would give leaders the time needed to tackle the nation’s dollar shortage more effectively.

In a YouTube interview with 'Dheno', Uhchu said the Maldives’ persistent high demand for USD, driven primarily by its tourism sector and extensive infrastructure needs across around 200 inhabited islands, cannot be managed efficiently within a five-year term. The country’s dispersed geography and heavy reliance on imported materials make development projects both costly and logistically complex, requiring substantial foreign currency expenditure, he explained.

He argued that the short presidential term places intense pressure on leaders to complete projects quickly, leaving little room for long-term economic planning or structural measures to narrow the gap between dollar supply and demand. Large-scale infrastructure works, such as airport construction and rural development, often involve significant borrowing in foreign currency, which does not always provide direct cash inflows.

According to Uhchu, extending the presidential term would provide greater stability and allow leaders to plan, finance, and implement projects more sustainably, ultimately helping to ease the dollar shortage.