The Parliamentary Committee on Independent Institutions has approved a bill seeking to synchronize the Presidential and Parliamentary elections, which includes a proposal to amend the duration of the current parliamentary term.
During the committee stage, the bill underwent thorough review, involving consultations with the Elections Commission, the Attorney General, and various political parties. A majority of these stakeholders expressed their support for the passage of the bill.
The government-sponsored constitutional amendment aims to mandate that elections for the People’s Majlis and the President be held simultaneously. Furthermore, the bill outlines revisions to the methodology for calculating the parliamentary term.
According to the bill, future parliamentary elections will be conducted alongside the presidential election as stipulated under Article 110 of the Constitution. It specifies that the parliamentary term will span five years, commencing on the 1st of December, and the Majlis shall be dissolved upon the expiration of this period.
The bill further mandates that following the dissolution of the current Parliament, the first session of the newly elected People’s Majlis must be held on the 1st of December. It also stipulates that the next general election to elect members must be conducted in accordance with these newly proposed amendments.
Additionally, the constitutional amendment states that the term of the current 20th People’s Majlis will expire on December 1, 2028, by which time elections must be held and the inaugural session of the new term convened. This adjustment effectively shortens the term of the 20th Majlis, which, under existing constitutional provisions, was set to conclude in 2029.
The bill, introduced on behalf of the government by the Member for Inguraidhoo Constituency, Ibrahim Falah, was passed by the Committee on Independent Institutions with a majority vote from the members present.
Synchronizing the presidential and parliamentary elections has been a long-standing public demand. The government believes that holding these elections concurrently will increase voter turnout and significantly reduce the administrative and financial costs associated with conducting separate national elections.
