Parliament goes to recess after cutting short session extended for ‘important works’

The Parliament, on Tuesday, went into recess after cutting short the second session of this year, which was extended to complete “important works”.

According to the Parliament’s standing orders, the second of this year was set to conclude on A

The Parliament was originally scheduled to go to recess last Friday after concluding its second session of this year. However, lawmakers voted last week to extend the session by a week.

With the change, the session was set to conclude on August 21^st.

However, the Parliament went to recess on Tuesday after cutting the short the extended session.

The third session of this year will commence in October and conclude in November.

During Tuesday’s sitting, lawmakers debated on the media bill submitted by Thulhaadhoo MP Abdul Hannan Aboobakr which grants the government and media regulatory body extensive powers to control the media.

While cutting short the sitting, Speaker Abdul Raheem said he observed that many lawmakers are interested in debating on the bill and reviewing its provisions.

The Parliament did not undertake much significant work in the second session of the year, with many of the scheduled sittings cancelled.

Key legislative efforts during the second session include the passage of the Insurance Bill; amendments enabling the establishment of the Maldives Monetary Authority’s company, 'Payment Maldives'; revisions to the Water and Sewerage Act extending the deadline for providing water and sewerage systems to all inhabited islands by two years; and changes to the Decentralization Act that limit certain powers previously held by local councils.