Attorney General Uz Ahmed Usham has said the best practice would be to merge the elections based on public referendum; citing there is no legal obstacle to doing so.

He made the statement while addressing the Independent Institutions Committee of the People’s Majlis on a proposed constitutional amendment to align the two elections. Uz Usham said the proposal carries several benefits and was introduced by the Government following extensive discussion.

The Attorney General stressed that Maldivian law does not prevent a referendum on the issue. He noted that under the Public Referendum Act, the Elections Commission must be given at least 45 days’ notice to conduct a public vote.

Uz Usham said the most cost-effective approach would be to hold the referendum together with the upcoming Local Council and Women’s Development Committee elections, once the required notice period has passed. He added that holding the vote on the same day would not contravene the law, while a separate referendum would result in significantly higher costs, as highlighted by the Elections Commission.

He also rejected arguments that the two elections should remain separate to allow Parliament six months to hold a new government accountable, saying six months is neither appropriate nor sufficient to assess a government’s performance.

Referring to the Constitution, Uz Usham said it stipulates that the first parliamentary elections be held on 25 February, adding that the proposed amendment was not intended to delay elections or hold them on different dates unnecessarily.