Efforts to hold extraordinary parliament session ongoing

Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has said that they are trying to hold an extraordinary session of the parliament prior to its opening for the first term this year. They also said that the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) is also taking part in these efforts.

Speaking to Sun Online, MDP parliamentary group member Mohamed Gasam said that PPM’s parliamentary group leader Abdulla Yameen has requested their support to hold an extraordinary meeting of the parliament, and that the 20 member MDP parliamentary groups has agreed and signed in support of the session.

A request calling for an extraordinary session of the parliament must include a minimum of 26 MP signatures. Gasam said that the request has been submitted to the appropriate authority along with the 20 signatures of the MDP parliamentary group. Gasam however failed to specify the authority.

“Following a request from the PPM parliamentary group leader, the 20 members of our parliamentary group have signed a request for an extraordinary session of the parliament, and we have sent it to where it needs to go. Yameen wants this extraordinary session to work in order to work towards passing the political parties bill. To put this issue on the agenda. PPM took the initiative. PPM parliamentary group leader is leading it,” said Gasam.

In relation to what Gasam has said, PPM spokesperson and Galolhu-South MP Ahmed Mahlouf said that the party did try to hold an extraordinary session of the parliament prior to its congress, and that its purpose was to pass the political parties bill, which the president has asked the parliament to reconsider. He however said that he does not know where the matter stands now.

Praising Yameen, Gasam said that Yameen has true affection for the country and that he does not want to plunge the country into chaos. He said that these current efforts will be a new development towards making President Waheed’s government accountable.

Another member of the MDP parliamentary group, on condition of anonymity, said that while PPM’s purpose to hold an extraordinary session of the parliament is to pass the political parties bill, MDP, in return for its support, wants to schedule the no-confidence vote against the president on the agenda. He said that 10 members of the PPM parliamentary group have already signed the request for the extraordinary meeting. PPM has however not confirmed this information.

An amendment brought to the parliament regulation last year states that an extraordinary meeting of the parliament shall be held within 14 days if one third (26 of the members) of the parliament, upon specifying the reason for the meeting, submits a request for such a meeting. The amendment also states that weekends and public holidays shall be included in counting the 14 day period.