Monday
18th Nov 2024
Dhivehi Edition
Parliament sees a motion to ban election days to fall in Ramadan.
The Parliament has received a proposal to amend the General Elections Act to include a provision prohibiting any elections during the month of Ramadan.
The amendment, moved by Ihavandhoo MP Mohamed Shifaau, proposes to amend 20 articles, including a change which would see the prohibition of holding elections during Ramadan.
The reason for the amendment is to address the difficulties faced by the situation caused by the current law, as this year's parliamentary elections coincide with the month of Ramadan.
It also includes amendments to address the worrying number of invalid votes in elections under the current law and to further strengthen the administrative arrangements for elections.
Shifaau’s amendment to the existing article on the date and time of polling states that elections should not be held on any day of the month of Ramadan.
Shifaau then proposed that if the date of the election coincides with the month of Ramadan, the election should be held 10 days after the end of the month of Ramadan.
The Election Commission has decided to hold the parliamentary elections on March 17, despite recommendations from political parties and independent institutions to hold the elections after Ramadan as the statutory deadline for this year’s parliamentary elections coincides with this year’s Ramadan.
Expressing concern over the matter, PPM Vice-President Ahmed Shiyam said the parliamentary elections could still be postponed so that they do not coincide with Ramadan.
"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 the date of the parliamentary elections," he said.
But, the election cannot be held after March 17 because the last 10 days of Ramadan and Eid-ul-Fitr are public holidays, followed by the examination period for all schools.
The law requires parliamentary elections to be declared 120 days before the end of the term.