Attorney General Ahmed Usham stated today that holding the Presidential Election and the Parliantary Election on the same day is not an action that will diminish any electoral rights of the citizens.
A public referendum is scheduled to be held on April 4 alongside the Local Council Elections to decide on ratifying the constitutional amendment passed by the Parliament to hold the two elections on the same day.
Speaking at a panel discussion organized by the Bar Council today regarding this vote, the Attorney General stated that holding the two elections on the same day does not bring any change to the manner in which the Parliament is elected. He noted that the representatives in the Parliament will still be determined by the citizens' vote, and the only thing changing is the day on which the election is held.
"They do it that way in those countries because there are benefits. It is not correct to say that this is solely a feature of a parliamentary system. This is also done in major countries around the world that have a presidential system. Research also shows positive results in this regard." Attorney General
Usham further stated that this change is not a constitutional transformation that alters the core structure, nor is it something that will diminish any electoral rights of the citizens.
"I do not believe this amendment is one that will bring any change to electoral rights or to the system of separation of powers that we have accepted," Usham said.
The Attorney General stated that holding two elections on the same day is not a parliamentary characteristic and that other countries with presidential systems also follow this practice. In this regard, he mentioned that Turkey, Indonesia, the Philippines, Argentina, and Brazil, which have presidential systems, also hold both elections together.
"They do it that way in those countries because there are benefits. It is not correct to say that this is solely a feature of a parliamentary system. This is also done in major countries around the world that have a presidential system. Research also shows positive results in this regard," Usham said.
Usham said that the Maldives has accepted a multi-party democratic system where power originates from the citizens. He noted that the most fundamental constitutional feature of this is the right to vote granted to the citizens.
"The right of the citizens to elect a President by voting. The right of the citizens to elect their representatives to the Parliament by voting. This is one of the most basic principles defined in the Constitution. This amendment does not bring any change to this," Usham said.
Usham pointed out that even if the two elections are held on the same day, the citizens will still have the right to elect the President as well as the right to elect Parliament members.
According to Usham, he does not believe the change to the Constitution brings a shift to the constitutional framework. He stated that this is a change to the long-standing electoral structure practiced in the Maldives.
