Umar: Public not given enough time or information ahead of Saturday’s referendum

Former Home Minister Umar Naseer says a significant portion of the Maldivian population remains unaware of whether Saturday’s referendum will bring “benefit or harm” to the country.

Speaking on SSTV’s Baaru Hathareh programme, Umar said many ordinary citizens, especially those occupied with daily work, have not been properly informed about the purpose or implications of the vote.

He argued that the time allocated for campaigning and public awareness was far too short.

Umar said people living in the atolls, particularly those with limited access to internet and media, have not received adequate information about the advantages or disadvantages of holding the presidential and parliamentary elections together.

“The vote is happening this Saturday, yet people have not been given adequate information. There has been no proper debate, and state media and resources have not been made available for it,” Umar said.

He said the government should give the public enough time to debate major constitutional questions, but this referendum was announced and scheduled without meaningful discussion.

“Half the population of Maldives still doesn’t know whether holding the two elections together will benefit or harm the country. That is a very serious problem,” he said.

Umar noted that previous national debates, such as the vote on whether Maldives should adopt a presidential or parliamentary system, were held with ample time and public engagement. In contrast, he said, this constitutional change was introduced “suddenly and without thought.”

Umar supports reducing the number of national elections from three to two, but said the local council elections should be merged with the parliamentary elections, not the two most important national votes.

The referendum on holding the presidential and parliamentary elections on the same day will take place on Saturday, alongside the local council elections. The government says combining the two major elections will reduce costs. The MDA, Adhaalath Party and JP have also backed the proposal.