The Government has formally presented a constitutional amendment bill to the People’s Majlis that, if approved, would align presidential and parliamentary elections on a single five-year cycle, a reform authorities argue will reduce costs and streamline the nation’s electoral calendar.
The bill was submitted yesterday by Ibrahim Falah, Parliamentary Group Leader of the ruling People’s National Congress and MP for Inguraidhoo. It seeks to replace the current staggered electoral timetable with a system in which presidential and parliamentary polls are held concurrently, a change the Government estimates could save the state approximately MVR 70 million by avoiding duplicate election cycles.
Under the proposed amendments, the term of the People’s Majlis would be fixed at five years starting on December 1. As a transitional clause, the current parliament’s tenure would conclude on December 1, 2028, with presidential and legislative elections scheduled to take place before that date to implement the synchronised cycle.
President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has repeatedly signalled his intention to pursue this reform as part of a broader agenda to enhance fiscal discipline and governance efficiency, framing the change as a way to curb unnecessary public spending and administrative duplication.
The legislative initiative builds upon institutional groundwork laid in 2025 with passage of the Public Referendum Act, which enabled national votes on key constitutional and governance issues. That law was enacted to formalise procedures for referendums on matters including electoral reform and other structural shifts in governance.
Last year’s referendum under the Act focused on local governance in Addu City, illustrating an emerging trend of direct public participation in institutional decisions.
If the amendment bill advances through the Majlis and succeeds in a public referendum, it would mark one of the most consequential electoral reforms in recent Maldivian history, reshaping the political calendar while reinforcing the administration’s stated emphasis on cost-effective governance.
