MP Gasim Says Same‑Day Elections Would Strengthen Stability and Reduce Political Disruption

Jumhooree Party leader MP Qasim Ibrahim has said the country should hold the presidential and parliamentary elections on the same day, arguing that the current system creates unnecessary instability for every incoming government.

In a post on X, MP Qasim said the political landscape has changed significantly since the first multi‑party presidential election in 2008, and that it is now too late to continue holding the two elections separately. He said every new administration is forced to spend its first six months trying to secure a parliamentary majority.

“In the 2019 and 2023 elections, the people gave three‑fourths of the seats in parliament to the ruling party. So now the president elected for a five‑year term has to spend the first six months in office trying to win a majority in parliament. Past parliaments have sometimes tried to block the government’s first budget and even attempted no‑confidence votes against the president,” he said.

MP Qasim said previous parliaments had ridiculed newly elected governments for lacking a majority, hacked budgets and attempted to undermine the presidency. He argued that holding both elections together would reduce political unrest and limit opportunities for corruption.

“On the day of the presidential election, holding parliamentary elections will benefit the people in every way. It will save more than MVR 120 million of taxpayers’ money and allow it to be used for other purposes,” he said.

Commenting on the constitutional amendment passed by Parliament, MP Qasim urged the public to vote “yes” in the upcoming referendum, which will be held alongside the local council elections in early April.