Referendum will cost at least MVR 45 million

Holding a referendum as planned by President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu – who is advocating for a switch to a preferential voting system for presidential elections – will cost the state at least MVR 45 million.

The Maldives currently uses the single member plurality system for parliamentary and council elections, and the two-round or runoff system for presidential elections.

The president is elected by an absolute majority vote. If no candidate has a majority of the votes after the first round, then a runoff election takes place between the two candidates with the most votes in the first round.

No presidential candidate has won outright since the introduction of the multi-party system.

During his Republic Day address in November last year, President Muizzu announced plans to hold referendums on several proposed changes to the electoral process, including abolishing the current two-round system in presidential elections, in favor of a preferential system.

Last week, President Muizzu met with parliamentarians from the ruling People’s National Congress (PNC), who hold a supermajority at the Parliament, and told them that the administration was working on holding a referendum this year.

Sun has been informed that a national election costs at least MVR 45 million. If inflation is factored in, holding such a vote this year will cost around MVR 55 million.

Therefore, holding a referendum of preferential voting this year will cost around MVR 55 million.

President Muizzu had originally floated the idea of combining the parliamentary election and the presidential election during a PNC meeting back in July last year – a move that he said would be highly cost-effective.

He said the state incurred over MVR 120 million for the 2024 parliamentary election, and over MVR 180 million for the 2023 presidential election, which went into a run-off.

He said the state will save close to MVR 120 million if both elections were combined.

“This money can be used to permanently relocate people living in a small island to a bigger one. If we look at smaller things it can be invested in, this money is enough to do so much for so many families,” he said.

Where do other political leaders stand?

Former president Mohamed Nasheed has said nothing about the plan to combine the two elections, but has said he supports a switch to a one-round election to pick a president, as long as it is a preferential vote.

He expressed hope support for such a switch from not just his party, the Democrats, but also his former one – the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).

Preferential vote aai eku nama eh burun vote laa ninmaa sarukaareh ufadhdhaa usoolakee rangalhu usooleh kamah alhugandu ves dheken.

— Mohamed Nasheed (@MohamedNasheed) April 20, 2025

However, MDP’s top leaders – president Abdulla Shahid and chairperson Fayyaz Ismail remain skeptic, describing the move as the PNC administration’s attempt to lay the groundwork to rig the elections.

They believe the country’s president must be elected with a clear majority.

On Monday, Shahid described the plan to change the voting system as “a conspiracy to drag the counting of ballots into several rounds, bring the ballot boxes to Male’, and rig the vote.”

ވޯޓުލާ ނިޒާމަށްބަދަލުގެންނަން މިހާރު ދައްކާ ވާހަކަ ތަކަކީ ވޯޓުގުނުން އެތައް ބުރަކަށް ދަންމާލާ، ފޮށިތައް މާލެގެނެސް ވޯޓު އޮޅުވާލުމަށް ރާވާ ރޭވުމެއް.

ވޯޓު ގުނަންވާނީ ވޯޓުލީ މަރުކަޒެއްގައި އެންމެންގެ ކުރިމަތީގައި.

ވޯޓުގެ 50% + 1 ( ވޯޓުލީ މީހުންގެ ސާފު އަޣްލަބިއްޔަތު )…

— Abdulla Shahid (@abdulla_shahid) April 21, 2025

He said that ballots must be counted in electoral centers in front of everyone.

“No matter how fancy the name, there’s not an ounce of sincerity in this. The motive is to meddle with the ballot boxes. To rig the vote. Maldivian people! Say a resounding ‘no’!” he wrote in a post on X on Monday morning.

Fayyaz had echoed his sentiments the previous day, saying that electoral reform should not be an excuse to limit the voices of voters.

He added that the PNC administration’s justification of such a policy through ‘cutting costs’ is insincere, when wasteful political expenditure is at an all-time high.

“The staggering of presidential and parliamentary elections are a necessary feature of our constitution; to merge the two will limit the parliament’s ability to serve as a check to the administration,” he wrote in a post on X.

Fayyaz however opinioned that there is merit in merging the presidential and local council elections, saying that aligning the visions of local and central development will allow for better execution of developmental agendas.

Electoral reform should not be an excuse to limit the voices of voters. In a small nation like ours where votes are tallied in a day, the President-elect should be sworn in with a clear mandate from the majority of the voting population. The government’s justification of such a…

— Fayyaz Ismail (@faya_i) April 20, 2025

What is preferential voting?

In a preferential voting election, voters rank the candidates in order of preference, with ‘1’ being the highest or most preferred ranking. If there are three candidates, the voter chooses ‘1’ beside their first choice, ‘2’ beside their second choice, and ‘3’ beside their third choice.

If no candidate receives an outright majority, which is greater than 50 percent of the total valid ballots, the candidate with the fewest number of votes is eliminated and the ballots for that candidate are redistributed to each ballot’s second preference. The process continues until a majority is reached by one of the candidates.

This system eliminates the need for a second round of voting.