Parliament Speaker Abdul Raheem Abdulla has said that there should be space for different opinions in the Parliament, but it should be done in a way that upholds the dignity of the Parliament.
The MPs for the 20th People's Majlis were sworn-in today and Abdul Raheem was elected as the new Speaker of the Parliament where the ruling People's National Congress (PNC) holds supermajority.
Addressing MPs for the first time, Abdul Raheem said the Majlis is the “key platform" for national debates and that is why there should be different ideas and views in the Parliament.
“I believe that there should be space for different ideas, different views and different perspectives in the discussions, debates and work that will be done here,” he said.
However, he said that it should be done within the boundaries of the rules and regulations in a manner that "maintains the dignity of the Parliament".
“[It should happen] in such a way that the people of Maldives will be proud of the work of this Parliament,” he added.
Stressing that a lot of work needs to be done by the MPs of the new Parliament, Abdul Raheem said repealing ineffectual laws, making new laws and reforming laws are the major responsibilities.
Abdul Raheem was handed the role of presiding over the 20th People's Majlis with the votes of 71 out of 93 MPs. Hithadhoo Dhekunu MP Ibrahim Nazil, who competed against Abdul Raheem, won 14 votes. There were seven invalid votes. Meedhoo MP Ahmed Siyam Mohamed, who presided over the sitting, did not cast a ballot.
The governing PNC holds a supermajority of Parliament. While Abdul Raheem received 71 votes, there are 75 PNC MPs. The number rises to 79 with pro-government MPs.
