DRP to support election of MP Nasheed to JSC seat

Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) has stated that they will support to elect independent member Kulhudhuffushi-South MP Mohamed Nasheed to parliament’s seat in the Judicial Service Commission.

The decision was announced by DRP’s Parliamentary Group Leader Dr. Abdulla Mausoom.

Dr. Mausoom told Sun today that there has been no indication that MP Nasheed is willing to take the parliament’s JSC seat, but said that DRP will support to elect Nasheed, if he is nominated in Thursday’s sitting.

“He has my full support. We [the DRP parliamentary group] will have a meeting then [Thursday] and if his name is proposed, we will decide to support him,” said Dr. Mausoom, who leads the nine-member DRP parliamentary group.

Parliament failed to approve a name for the parliament seat in JSC after seeing three nominations from all three major political parties, Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) and DRP last Tuesday, 20th August.

A majority vote of a full sitting of parliament is needed to elect a member representing parliament to the judicial oversight body.

Independent MP Mohamed Nasheed currently sits as the chair the parliament the Parliament Committee on Independent Commission, to which he was elected after the three major parties in parliament failed to reach a consensus. Many believe that Nasheed’s conduct of the committee fair and well balanced, particularly in terms of reviews regarding judicial bodies.

MP Nasheed has yet to comment on the suggestion that he might be nominated to the JSC.

The 10-member Commission is composed of members; Supreme Court Judge Adam Mohamed, Parliament Speaker Abdullah Shahid, High Court Judge Abdulla Hameed, Criminal Court Judge Abdulla Didi, public member to JSC Sheikh Shuaib Abdul Rahman, president’s member to JSC Latheefa Gasim, and Attorney General Aishath Azima Shakoor.

Mohamed Fahumy Hassan, the former Civil Service Commission (CSC) chief who was dismissed from the post by parliament, still continues to attend JSC meetings and sits as the representative from CSC.

Parliament's JSC seat became vacant after Maamigili MP Gasim Ibrahim candidacy for the presidential elections was announced by the Election’s Commission, as Article 10 (d) of the JSC Act states that the seat of a JSC member shall be deemed vacant if the member decides to contest for a political position, elected under the Constitution or the Law.