Former President Nasheed Supports Preferential Voting for Maldives' Presidential Elections

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Former President Mohamed Nasheed has expressed his support for implementing a preferential voting system in the Maldives, backing a proposal for a one-round presidential election that would rely on this method. In a post shared on X, Nasheed highlighted that a single-round election would be an effective policy if it employed preferential voting. His stance aligns with the growing support from the ruling Progressive National Congress (PNC) and its affiliates.

On Wednesday, the PNC officially launched a campaign advocating for the introduction of preferential voting in the Maldives. Minister of State for Defence and PNC Secretary General, Muaz Haleem, also supported the proposal, emphasizing its potential to reduce the duplication of resources and alleviate the financial burden associated with holding a second round of elections.

President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, in his Presidential Address on 11 November 2024, revealed that the Attorney General had been tasked with researching the feasibility of implementing preferential voting in the Maldives. He noted that this system is already in use in several democratic nations and pointed out its potential to significantly reduce election costs and conserve public resources. President Muizzu further stated that, should research and public sentiment be favorable, a proposal to amend the current electoral process would be submitted to Parliament, eliminating the need for a second round of voting.

Preferential voting, also known as ranked-choice voting, is already in use in countries such as Sri Lanka for presidential elections and in India for elections to the Upper House of Parliament. It is also fully implemented in national elections in Australia and Ireland.

Under this system, voters rank candidates by preference. If no candidate receives more than 50% of first-choice votes, the lowest-ranked candidate is eliminated, and their votes are redistributed until a majority is reached. Supporters argue that this method strengthens democratic representation, reduces election costs, and decreases political polarization, as it allows voters to support their true preferences without fear of "wasting" their vote.