President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has stated the current system of governance established in the Maldives can only be changed by a public vote.
President Solih made the remarks in response to a message sent to him by Speaker of Parliament Mohamed Nasheed expressing his desire to change the currently established presidential system to a parliamentary system. In his message, Speaker Nasheed expressed his desire to become the Prime Minister upon the establishment of a parliamentary system of governance.
Spokesperson at the President’s Office Mohamed Mabrook Azeez had confirmed that the President received this message from the Speaker of Parliament. The spokesperson said President Solih has stated the system of governance can only be changed by a public vote, as the current system of governance was also decided by the public.
Before the ratification of the new constitution, a public referendum was conducted in 2007 to decide on a system of governance to be followed in the Maldives. 95,619 people voted to have a presidential system, while 58,504 people voted for a parliamentary system.