Parliament adjourns sitting amid points of order

Parliament sitting today was adjourned following discord amongst MPs.

The sitting lost order when Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MPs started raising concerns over the appointments of two vacancies to the Elections Commission (EC), left unfilled since the dismissal of the commission’s president Fuad Thaufeeq and his deputy Ahmed Fayaz Hussain by the Supreme Court.

Speaking on a point of order, MDP MP, Henveyru-central member Ali Azim said that according to the Constitution, the power to appoint and dismiss members from the Elections Commission falls upon the parliament and that Supreme Court does not have the prerogative to make such decisions.

Two weeks prior to the parliamentary election in March, Supreme Court sentenced the President of the Elections Commission Fuad Thaufeeg to six months in prison and sentenced to disqualify both Fuad and his deputy, Vice President of EC Ahmed Fayaz, for disparaging court procedures.