Elections Commission Will Hold Combined Elections if Parliament Decides: Shakeel

President of the Elections Commission of Maldives, Mohamed Shakeel, has said the commission will conduct combined elections if the People's Majlis amends the law to require it.

Speaking on a programme aired by PSM, Shakeel said the Elections Commission is responsible for implementing the law, not making it. He noted that holding elections separately within short intervals places a significant financial burden on the state, and if lawmakers decide to amend the law to combine elections, the commission will carry out that decision.

"Our responsibility is to implement the Constitution and the laws. If the lawmakers amend the law and decide that elections should be held together, we will conduct them accordingly," Shakeel said.

He added that combining elections could save the state hundreds of millions of rufiyaa, allowing those funds to be redirected to other public needs.

The issue has resurfaced after Shakeel's appointment as EC president. Earlier this year, on April 4, a public opinion poll on combining elections found that 70 percent of participants supported continuing to hold elections separately, while only 30 percent backed combining them. At the time, Shakeel was serving as Registrar of the ruling People's National Congress (PNC), which campaigned in favour of merging elections.

Critics argue that changing the system through a Parliament where the PNC holds a supermajority, despite the outcome of the public consultation, would run counter to democratic principles.

Concluding his remarks, Shakeel reiterated that if elections are combined, the government would save hundreds of millions of rufiyaa in election-related expenses, and those funds could instead be used for other public priorities. He said he hopes lawmakers will carefully consider the issue.

Shakeel's comments are being widely interpreted as a sign that the government may once again push for legislation to combine elections.