MDP Condemns Government for Rushing Referendum on Constitutional Reform

The MDP remains deeply troubled by President Muizzu’s rushed pursuit of reshaping the constitutional order to concentrate political power to himself. The President has proposed amending the Constitution to synchronise Presidential and Parliamentary elections, a change that would remove the public’s ability to hold the government accountable during its five-year term. The Government used its dominant majority in Parliament to rush through a decision to hold a referendum on this amendment. The manner was telling: the amendment received just five minutes of scrutiny in the parliamentary committee and only two hours of debate on the parliament floor, with no substantive discussion whatsoever. The referendum on this monumental change is due to take place on April 4th.

The Government’s justification for this constitutional change has swung between claims of minimal cost savings and the assertion that synchronised elections would institute social harmony because “elections cause division within the public.” This constitutional change and its weak economic justification do not withstand scrutiny. More alarming is how it is being done: rather than through inclusive national consultation, the administration has chosen to merge this fundamental question with the local council elections on 4th April, with voters given no structured information and no serious opportunity to understand what is being asked of them. The Elections Commission, in its discussions with the MDP, shared that it has not been able to create the required public awareness as mandated by law. Meanwhile the public broadcaster, Public Service Maldives, mandated to educate the public on matters of national interest and to offer both sides an equal opportunity, have consistently failed to afford ‘No’ campaign the same platform as the Government backed campaign in support of constitutional change.

These actions by the Government must also be understood within the broader pattern of an administration that has systematically centralised power, weaponised state institutions against opposition members, and shown consistent contempt for the rule of law. The proposed amendment is not a technocratic efficiency measure; it is the latest move in an ongoing project to entrench executive dominance and hollow out the checks and balances the Maldivian people fought hard to enshrine in their constitution.

The MDP calls upon the international community to scrutinise these developments carefully and to make clear to the Muizzu administration that constitutional change imposed without genuine public deliberation and info