Muizzu Government Pushes Swift Constitutional Amendment to Block MP Defections

The Muizzu government has proposed a constitutional amendment to prevent parliamentarians from switching political parties and to mandate the loss of parliamentary seats if a party removes an MP from its registry.

The proposed amendment comes amid a High Court case challenging a key provision of the Anti-Defection Act, which requires MPs to resign if they change parties, and rumours of defections from the ruling Progressive National Congress (PNC).

President Dr Mohamed Muizzu announced the decision during a meeting at Muliaage, his official residence, on Tuesday. The meeting, attended by PNC MPs and ministers, reportedly saw mixed reactions, with some members expressing reservations but few doing so openly.

The bill was submitted to Parliament late Tuesday night and is expected to be debated during Wednesday’s session. Several PNC MPs stated that the government aims to pass the amendment the same day, underscoring its urgency.

During the meeting, Speaker of Parliament Abdul Raheem Abdulla defended the amendment, describing it as a move to counter the influence of powerful business figures in politics. The proposal comes two days after President Muizzu challenged the Maldives’ influential tourism industry leaders by reaffirming his government’s commitment to controversial foreign exchange regulations introduced by the Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA).

Addressing the nation on Sunday, President Muizzu reiterated that the foreign exchange rules, requiring tourist establishments to exchange set amounts of USD per guest into Maldivian Rufiyaa (MVR), would remain unchanged despite opposition. Prominent tourism industry figures have criticised the rules as unworkable and detrimental to operations reliant on USD revenues.

The rushed nature of the proposed amendment has drawn criticism, with some analysts suggesting it signals the President’s attempts to maintain control of the PNC’s parliamentary supermajority. Critics warn that failure to pass the amendment could lead to defections, potentially destabilising the ruling party.