President: President-elect deserves a chance, I do not support a system change

President Ibrahim Mohamed says that he does not support making amendments to the constitution to change the role of the president, after having just elected a new one.

In a press conference on Monday, President Solih said he does not believe this to be the best time for a change in the system of governance in Maldives.

He noted that a shift to a parliamentary system will affect changes to the role of the president.

“A president was just elected for a five-year term. I don’t believe it the best to make changes to the constitution to limit that role,” he said.

The Parliament passed a resolution last month, calling for a constitutional referendum on a change in the system of governance before October 30.

President Solih said that such a change must be presented for approval with the backing of two-thirds of the Parliament. He said that he will process it, if it is sent to him in accordance with procedure.

He said he personally does not support the parliamentary system.

“I personally believe that the presidential system is the best for this country. This is my personal view,” he said.

Preliminary results of the presidential election runoff on Saturday show the opposition PPM-PNC candidate Dr. Mohamed Muizzu won 54 percent (129,159 votes), while MDP’s President Solih won 46 percent (109,868 votes).

President Solih conceded defeat and congratulated Muizzu shortly before midnight of Saturday, and met with him to discuss the transition of power on Sunday.

MDP’s chairperson Fayyaz Ismail has also stated that Muizzu must be given a chance, and that he was opposed to a system change.

The resolution had been passed with support from lawmakers from the MDP as well. Democrats, which submitted the resolution, recently stated it will seek counsel from the PPM-PNC coalition in proceeding with their efforts to seek a system change.