President states the constitutional amendments have empowered the citizens

President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has stated that the constitutional amendments brought in have only empowered citizens. This, he said, would be apparent if political bias is set aside. He made the remarks while speaking with the residents of AA. Mathiveri Island.

In his address, the President reflected on this, stating that the purpose of the Constitution is to declare and define the sovereign power of the state and its territory, define the power of the people, define the rights and responsibilities of the people, and define the system, order and arrangements for the administration of the rule of law. The President went on to clarify the reasons under which the constitutional amendments were brought in. He referred to the amendment, which mandates that the approval of three-fourths of the Parliament and 143,332 citizens must be sought for any decision on the special economic zone.

The President added that Parliament approval now needs to be sought for any foreign military presence to be active on Maldivian soil, made possible by the amendment to Act 251 of the Constitution. It also prohibits the practical deployment of foreign troops in any form on its territory, for military purposes, except to participate in agreed military exercises, with the approval of a majority of the total number of members of Parliament.

The President also noted that the change in the conditions of becoming a member of Parliament also protected the rights of the people. Members contest elections as representing a particular ideology or party and therefore there is a covenant between the elected member and the people of the constituency, he said. In the covenant, the member agrees to fulfil his constitutional responsibilities, he said, adding that the amendment to the Constitution will protect the covenant made by the members.

Referring to the circumstances that must be passed by popular vote before an amendment to the Constitution, he noted that the power to decide on the referendum, which was in the hands of a few, has been left in the hands of the people.

He further added that the changes to the President’s roles and responsibilities addressed the gaps in the existing framework, where the President had no role in determining long- and short-term national developmental planning.

The 6th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified by the President on November 20, 2024.