The main opposition, the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP)'s Chairperson Fayyaz Ismail has called for the immediate ratification of the amendment to the General Elections Act to postpone the upcoming parliamentary elections until after the month of Ramadan.
The Elections Commission had initially decided to hold the election on March 17. However, an amendment to the Federal Elections Act was moved by MP Mohamed Shifau in response to concerns raised regarding the date as it coincided with the month of Ramadan. The amendment states that elections cannot be held on any day during Ramadan, regardless of provisions in the Act or any other law. Instead, if the election date coincides with Ramadan, it will be postponed until 10 days after the conclusion of the month of fasting.
The amendment was passed by the parliament on February 11. However, the amendment has not yet been ratified.
Taking to social media platform X, Fayyaz said the elections should be held in a manner that encourages maximum participation from the people
"If the election of the people's representatives is held in Ramadan, it is hampering the exercise of the fundamental right to vote. The bill passed to postpone the election should be ratified immediately," Fayyaz said.
