The start of today's sitting of Parliament was delayed due to a lack of quorum despite the reduction in the number of sittings from the customary three a week.
Announcing the delay of the sitting to 9:30 am, Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP for Hanimaadhoo Abdul Ghafoor Moosa, who was presiding as the chair, announced that only 11 MPs were in attendance, half of the legal quorum needed to begin a sitting. With 87 MPs in the People's Majlis, at least 22 MPs must be present for a quorum.
Ghafoor presided over today's sitting as both Speaker Mohamed Aslam and Deputy Speaker Ahmed Saleem were out of Male'.
Last week, Henveiru Hulhangu MP Hassan Latheef, President of The Democrats, submitted a motion calling for a sitting to be scheduled due to the failure to hold regular sittings.
Expressing concern in a post on X, Hassan Latheef said the law requires sittings to be held thrice a week and noted important pending tasks.
"With many tasks related to the interests of the public and the Maldivian state and to the constitutional duties entrusted to the People's Majlis by the Constitution that need to be done even now, the suspension of Majlis sittings would cause great damage," said the motion submitted by Hassan Latheef, leader of the third largest party in Parliament.
