Yameen says merging presidential and parliamentary elections deprives voters of a watchdog parliament

As the government pushes a constitutional amendment to merge presidential and parliamentary elections, former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom has warned that the change would undermine democratic oversight and lead to “serious mistakes.”

Parliament, currently in recess, has scheduled a sitting with an agenda that includes three government‑backed bills, among them the proposed constitutional amendment.

The amendment, submitted by ruling PNC parliamentary group leader and Inguraidhoo MP Ibrahim Falah, would require presidential and parliamentary elections to be held simultaneously. It also proposes shifting the start date of the new Parliament to December 1. If passed, the 21st Parliament would begin on December 1, 2028, following that year’s presidential election, with the current 20th Parliament dissolving on the same day.

Commenting on the bill, Yameen said he does not see the wisdom behind merging the two elections, noting that the executive and legislature are meant to act as checks on one another.

“The Parliament is to oversee the government, that is their main mandate. They may pass budgets and legislation, but their biggest responsibility is to hold the government accountable,” he said.

Yameen argued that when parliamentary elections are held a few months after the presidential election, voters are able to assess the president’s early performance and vote accordingly. Holding both elections at the same time, he said, removes that opportunity.

“We are not electing a parliament that will watch the president’s actions if both elections are held together. I don’t see the wisdom in this,” he said.

He also rejected the government’s justification that merging elections would reduce costs, saying the change would come at the expense of the public’s interests.

“Rather than looking at expenditure, a much greater interest is being lost. I see serious mistakes in combining the parliamentary and presidential elections,” Yameen said.

Earlier, former President Mohamed Nasheed expressed support for merging the two elections. However, former MDP Chairperson Fayyaz Ismail, although from MDP as well, urged caution, proposing instead that parliamentary elections be split into two rounds, with some members elected alongside the presidential vote and others elected mid‑term.