Any alterations to the Maldives’ Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) will now require approval through a public referendum, as unanimously decided by the parliamentary committee.
Currently, Article III of the Constitution defines the territory of the Maldives as the air, sea, and underwater areas within its archipelagic baselines and territorial waters. Changes to this territory currently require the approval of two-thirds of the total members of Parliament.
An amendment proposed by Hulhudhoo MP Mohamed Shahid on behalf of the government seeks to expand this requirement. It suggests adding a clause stipulating that any modification to the Maldives’ maritime territory—including the archipelagic sea, surrounding waters, and EEZ—must be enacted through a law passed by a two-thirds parliamentary majority.
The amendment was referred to a parliamentary committee for review, where Baarah MP Ibrahim Shujau proposed an additional provision requiring such changes to be approved by a three-fourths majority in Parliament. This proposal received 78 votes in favor.
Further, MP Shujau introduced a constitutional amendment mandating that any decision affecting the sea area, including the EEZ, must be subjected to a public referendum. This measure was unanimously approved by the committee.
The issue has gained prominence following a dispute at the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS). Mauritius challenged the separation of the Chagos Islands from disputed waters between the Maldives and Mauritius. ITLOS ruled that the UK had no jurisdiction over the Chagos Islands and called for a maritime boundary delimitation between Mauritius and the Maldives, resulting in the Maldives losing part of its EEZ.
President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has since sent a letter to Mauritius, expressing that transferring sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to the Maldives would have been a more favorable resolution.
