Abdulla Shahid, president of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) and former president of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), speaks with residents during a public meeting urging voters to reject the proposed constitutional referendum to hold presidential and parliamentary elections simultaneously to reduce costs, at Thulhaadhoo in the Maldives' Baa Atoll Island on March 23, 2026. (Photo by Mohamed Afrah / AFP via Getty Images)