The Democrats' presidential candidate Ilyas Labeeb has said that he will hold a referendum on changing the government system f he is elected. The pledge comes at a time when Speaker Mohamed Nasheed, also a member of the Democratic party, is actively advocating for a parliamentary system.
Speaking to reporters at the Velana International Airport after concluding a campaign visit to Addu City, Ilyas said the 2007 referendum on the government system taken before constituting the current Green constitution is questionable, suggesting that it may not have accurately reflected the people's desires.
"In a Democrat's government, we will offer that opportunity to the people and give them the space to take an opinion vote to find out what the people want," Ilyas explained.
Meanwhile, Speaker Nasheed has held discussions with other parties to build alliances for the upcoming presidential election. However, one of the main reasons for the failure of the talks is believed to be Nasheed's insistence on changing the government system if elected.
It's worth noting that, apart from Nasheed, there has been no public endorsement from other senior political leaders regarding a shift in the government system.
The Democrats' policies are designed to accommodate a shift of the country's government system from a presidential to a parliamentary system. Under their plan, the parliament will be limited to a maximum of 76 members. Out of these, 55 will be elected from the Male' region, while eight seats will be reserved for women and two for disabled representatives from four other regions. Additionally, 11 seats will be allocated based on the parties' proportional votes in the elections.
