Attorney General (AG) Ahmed Usham has publicly defended the government's decision to hold a pivotal constitutional referendum concurrently with the upcoming local council elections, stating the move will be many times less expensive than a standalone national vote.
The remarks, made in a detailed social media post, come in response to calls for clarity from former Supreme Court Justice Husnu Suood, who recently questioned the government's agenda regarding the consolidation of the presidential and parliamentary elections, among other constitutional matters.
AG Usham acknowledged widespread acceptance that the current Constitution contains issues requiring amendment. He outlined three key reforms the government intends to propose—synchronising the presidential and parliamentary elections, altering the composition of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC), and addressing the increasing number of Members of Parliament.
He clarified that the specific amendment to merge the two major elections is classified as a mandatory amendment, which, by law, requires approval via a public referendum before it can be enacted. The other proposed changes to the JSC and parliamentary composition, he noted, do not carry this requirement. The Attorney General confirmed that the government will soon submit these amendments to the parliament, with final discussions currently underway.
The core of the AG’s argument centered on fiscal prudence. He revealed that conducting a separate nationwide referendum would cost the state at least USD 5.2 million. By leveraging the existing infrastructure and voter mobilisation for the local council elections, the government can achieve massive savings.
"Holding the vote with the council elections would save many times the cost and ease the burden on the state budget," he said.
The public referendum moved by President Dr Mohamed Muizzu before ratifying the constitutional amendment passed by the Parliament to synchronise the two main elections is slated to be held on 4 April, to coincide with the local council elections.
The historic change if backed by public majority would fundamentally reshape the Maldivian political landscape by shortening the term of the current parliament to align the dates of the nation's two largest elections.