Government refutes claims of military takeover of Majlis

President’s Office has released a statement denying media reports the People’s Majlis was taken over by the military.

The statement referred to the press release by the Secretariat of People’s Majlis regarding what happened at the Majlis on July 24.

The Secretariat of People’s Majlis said no voting was scheduled for July 24, and that all parliamentarians had been informed that no Majlis meetings will be held until July 31 – due to security reasons coinciding with Independence Day celebrations and official visit of Prime

Minister of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif.

“The Parliament Secretariat, in its statement, noted that certain parties have been calling to stage a protest on 24 July 2017 near Parliament premises,” wrote President’s Office in a statement. “…and that due to these security concerns, the Parliament Secretariat has requested the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) to strengthen security measures in the

Parliament building and its premises.”

President’s Office said the special measures taken by MNDF were to ensure the safety and security of the Majlis premises as mandated by Article 105 of the Constitution.

It said the government’s highest priority was to ensure the safety and security of Maldivian citizens, and asked media outlets to “responsibly verify information before disseminating it to the public.”