Minister Shiyam states Parliamentary Election Date can be Changed

There is still a possibility of changing the date of the upcoming parliamentary elections so that it does not coincide with the month of Ramadan, according to Fisheries Minister Ahmed Shiyam.

The Elections Commission has decided to hold the parliamentary elections on March 17th, despite advice from political parties and independent institutions to hold the elections after Ramadan this year as the statutory deadline coincides with Ramadan this year. The current date for the elections is what is projected to be the 7th day of Ramadan.

According to Minister Shiyam, the month of Ramadan is not normally used for political campaigns or elections, which could affect the election results.

There is still a possibility of changing the date by holding a special session of parliament out of session, he said.

"The Parliament can do that. Special sessions and extraordinary sessions are being held. So if the people have such a big concern about this, we should support an extraordinary session to determine a new date for the parliamentary elections," he said.

The law requires parliamentary elections to be declared 120 days before the end of the term.

The reason why the election cannot be held after March 17th is because there are public holidays in connection with the last 10 days of Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr, followed by the examination period for all schools.