The Independent Institutions Committee of the Parliament has passed a bill to amend the Constitution, aimed at holding the parliamentary elections concurrently with the presidential election.

The bill was introduced during an out-of-session parliamentary meeting on the 5th of last month by the Parliamentary Group Leader of the ruling PNC and Member of Parliament for Inguraidhoo constituency, Ibrahim Falah.

On the same day, the bill was accepted by the Parliament with 46 votes in favor out of 52 members present and was subsequently forwarded to the committee for further study. The five members from the opposition MDP who voted against accepting the bill were Dr. Ahmed Shamheed (Hulhumalé South), Mohamed Ibrahim (Galolhu North), Abdul Ghafoor Moosa (Hanimaadhoo), Hussain Ziyad (Vaikaradhoo), and Ameen Faisal (Kanditheemu).

Throughout this month, the committee has held consultations with political parties and the Elections Commission regarding the bill.

The bill stipulates that the elections to select members for the People’s Majlis shall be conducted simultaneously with the presidential election held under Article 110 of the Constitution.

Furthermore, it proposes that the term of the People’s Majlis be defined as five years starting from the 1st of December, and that the Majlis shall be considered dissolved upon the expiration of this term. It also mandates that the first session of a newly elected Majlis must be held on the 1st of December following the dissolution of the previous assembly.

If this constitutional amendment is enacted, the term of the current 20th People’s Majlis will be shortened, concluding on December 1, 2028. Under the existing constitutional framework, the term of the 20th Majlis was originally set to end in 2029.