The Election Commission (EC) has revealed that the Parliament today had informed the commission to hold a referendum on the change of the existing system of government in the country.

EC Vice-President Ismail Habib tweeted today that the commission had received the resolution passed by parliament today. The commission is seeking legal advice on how to proceed, he said.

The Democrats' presidential candidate, Ilyas Labib, has proposed a referendum on the change of the system of government in the Maldives. The resolution passed yesterday calls for a referendum on the change of the system of government before October 30th.

The Democrats proposed the resolution to change the country's current presidential system to a parliamentary system.

The two major parties, MDP and the PPM, have agreed to hold a vote on the system of government, but have not yet officially announced the system of government they support. However, PPM has previously rejected a systematic vote and said it would not support a parliamentary system in Maldives.