The opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) congress has passed a major policy change regarding the country's governance system, stipulating that if the People's Majlis (Parliament) decides to remove Supreme Court judges, the public must have the final say through a public referendum.

This policy was passed with 520 members voting in favor out of the 563 members present at the congress.

The restructuring policies—packaged as part of a "Bodu Badhalu " paper for the MDP's governance system—were submitted to the congress by former Economic Minister, presidential primary candidate, and head of the party's roadmap committee, Fayyaz Ismail. Highlighting that these reforms are designed to ensure decisions are made by gathering public opinion as much as possible, Fayyaz explained that the amendment concerning the dismissal of Supreme Court judges effectively brings an end to the parliament's current ability to remove judges overnight.

"Therefore, if a Supreme Court judge is to be removed, once the Majlis decides by a two-thirds majority to remove a Supreme Court judge, we are saying that the public must be the ones to have the final say. Only if the public accepts that decision made by the Majlis can that person be removed from office," Fayyaz stated.

Fayyaz emphasized that introducing this change will grant greater independence to Supreme Court judges, ensuring they understand they cannot be arbitrarily dismissed simply because the incumbent President or the Majlis desires it. "They will know then that they can only be removed if the public desires it. We believe that would be a tremendous strength for establishing justice," he added.