The Parliament’s Independent Institutions Committee on Monday decided to complete its review of the government’s proposed constitutional amendment to merge the presidential and parliamentary elections within 10 days.
The amendment was submitted on Sunday by ruling PNC parliamentary group leader and Inguraidhoo MP Ibrahim Falah. His proposal also includes changing the start date of future parliamentary terms to December 1, beginning with the parliament elected after the current 20th Parliament.
Of the 51 MPs who took part in the vote, all but five supported sending the amendment to committee.
The committee has opened the amendment for public comment until the 15th of this month and plans to conclude its work on the same day. The committee is also reviewing a separate amendment that would allow people with serious illnesses, including cancer, to withdraw funds from their pension accounts, and aims to complete that review by Tuesday.
From the 20th Parliament's first special sitting of 2026, January 5, 2026. (Photo/People's Majlis)
Following the committee decision, Falah’s amendment was passed by Parliament. If the amendment is ultimately approved, the 21st Parliament will begin on December 1, 2028, after the 2028 presidential election. The current 20th Parliament would be dissolved on that date.
The proposal aligns with remarks made by the President at the opening of a new PNC campaign office on July 7, 2024, where he announced plans to seek a constitutional amendment to combine the two major elections in order to reduce state expenditure. He said holding the elections together would save at least MVR 120 million, funds he said could instead be used to support low‑income families.
Only former President Mohamed Nasheed has publicly expressed support for the amendment. The MDP opposed it during Monday’s sitting, while former party chairperson Fayyaz Ismail and former President Abdullah Yameen also voiced their opposition.