Parliament to convene tomorrow afternoon

The parliament has announced that the second sitting of this year’s first session will be held tomorrow afternoon.

Parliament sittings normally commence at 9:00 a.m., but the Parliament Secretariat said that tomorrow’s sitting has been scheduled for 1:00 p.m. as decided by Speaker of Parliament Abdulla Shahid.

The agenda for tomorrow’s sitting has not yet been announced.

This decision by the parliament to convene comes at a time when the legality of a verdict issued by Supreme Court on Sunday, whereby it declared President and Vice President of Elections Commission disqualified as members of Elections Commission, has been questioned by Parliament Counsel General Fathimath Filza.

A letter was sent yesterday by Speaker of Parliament Abdulla Shahid and Deputy Speaker of Parliament Ahmed Nazim to President Yameen Abdul Gayoom, Chief Justice Ahmed Faiz Hussain, and Attorney General Ahmed Anil based on the advice given on the matter by Filza.

The letter stated that the removal of the President and Vice President of Elections Commission by Supreme Court was a violation of the Constitution and the Elections Commission Act; and as prescribed in the Constitution and the Elections Commission Act, appointment and dismissal of members to the Elections Commission must be conducted by the parliament.