Arrangements have been made to ratify the two bills: President

The President’s Office has said that arrangements have been made to ratify the bill on political parties and the bill on parliament privileges and powers today.

Political parties represented in the parliament earlier called on the president to ratify and publish these two bills in the government gazette today.

Parliamentary group leaders of the political parties represented in the parliament have said that the president had been given adequate time to ratify the bills passed by the parliament last Tuesday. As the bills were passed by the parliament without revision after they were returned by the president for reconsideration, the president must now assent to the bills.

In a statement issued jointly by MDP, PPM, DRP, Jumhooree Party and PPA, the parties called upon the president to ratify and publish these two bills in the government gazette today.

Media Secretary of the President’s Office Masood Imad said, when asked if the president will ratify the bills as requested in the statement issued jointly by the parties, that arrangements had been made by the President’s Office for the president to ratify the bills today.

“It has been arranged to ratify the bills. Photocopies have been made of the documents related to the bill, those arrangements had been made. The president will decide whether or not to ratify the bills today,” he said.

He said that the President’s Office made the arrangements to ratify the bills today following the parliament’s return of the bills after correction of some mistakes.

Article 91b of the constitution states that any bill returned to the parliament for reconsideration shall be assented to by the president and published in the government gazette if the bill, after reconsideration, is passed without any amendments, by a majority of the total membership of the parliament.