Former Home Minister Umar Naseer has proposed a strategic realignment of the Maldives electoral calendar, suggesting that Local Council and Parliamentary elections should be held concurrently instead of the current proposal to merge Parliamentary and Presidential polls.

The recommendation comes as the nation prepares for a public referendum scheduled for early next month, coinciding with the Local Council elections. This referendum will determine whether Parliamentary and Presidential elections should be combined—a move already approved by the People’s Majlis and ratified into law, pending public endorsement.

While expressing support for electoral consolidation to reduce administrative costs, Naseer voiced strong opposition to merging the two most significant national votes. Posting on social media, Naseer argued that the Presidential election is the most critical event for determining the nation’s future, whereas the other two are constituency-based.

Naseer, a former presidential candidate, further stated that it is illogical to combine the two largest elections while continuing to hold the smaller Local Council elections separately at a high expense. He urged the public to vote against the current merger proposal in the upcoming referendum, advocating instead for the synchronization of the two smaller, local-level polls.