President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has sent back the Bill seeking postponement of parliament elections.

The Election Commission (EC) has decided to hold the parliamentary elections on March 17, which is the seventh day of Ramadan.

However, the general election law was amended to make it mandatory for elections to be held 10 days after the end of Ramadan. The Parliament passed the bill on February 11.

The bill was sent to the President for ratification on February 13.

The President's Office said the bill was returned today on the advice of the Attorney General in exercise of the president's powers conferred on him by Article 91(a) of the Constitution.

The Attorney General's recommendations include that the Bill provides for procedures that are inconsistent with the principles laid down in the Constitution, which may interfere with the conduct of elections and free and fair elections in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution, the President's Office said.

In his letter to the Speaker of the Parliament, the President stated that the Bill was sent back as the Attorney General had suggested to the President that changes should be made to the Bill in order to amend them, the President's Office said in a statement.

The bill has been sent back after Vice President Hoarafushi MP Ahmed Saleem said that if the Bill is sent back, Parliament will send it back for ratification with a bigger majority of votes on the Bill.