Nepal, April 22 -- On April 4, the Maldives held three concurrent elections: an election to local bodies, a first-time direct election to the Women's Development Committee (WDC) and a constitutional referendum on holding simultaneous elections to elect President and Parliament (People's Majlis). In December 2025, the Maldivian government abolished the atoll Councils and replaced them with a population-based structure in which the number of council members would be determined by the population strength in each of the 21 administrative constituencies, excluding city councils. In the new legislation, the work of the Councils will be supervised by the Local Government Authority, appointed by the government.

The referendum

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