Opposition MPs boycott key budget debate

Opposition parliamentarians have boycotted the debate on the supplementary budget for 2017, being held at the People’s Majlis this Wednesday.

None of the opposition parliamentarians are in attendance at the Majlis meeting which began this Wednesday evening.

Opposition parliamentarians have been holding continuous protest inside the Majlis chamber, demanding Speaker Abdulla Maseeh Mohamed’s resignation since third session of the People’s Majlis began this October. They were seen walking out of the chamber in the middle of the meeting held last Tuesday.

Speaking during the debate this Wednesday morning, Deputy Speaker Reeko Moosa Manik said that while the opposition protested inside the chamber every day, demanding democracy, instructions on the steps to follow were clearly defined in the Constitution. He remarked that it wasn’t just enough to file an impeachment motion against the Speaker, but that a vote needed to be taken.

The government has requested the Majlis for MVR 493 million as a supplementary budget for 2017.

The opposition has made no statement regarding why it chose to boycott the debate.