A month has passed since the last sitting of the People’s Majlis.
The last parliamentary sitting was held on March 8, marking only the fifth sitting of the year. One of these sessions was the opening of the Majlis, held specifically for the Presidential Address.
Under Article 47 of the Standing Orders of the People’s Majlis, at least three sittings must be held per week, unless a special circumstance arises or the Parliament decides otherwise.
The first sitting of this year’s first session commenced on February 5. Excluding holidays, approximately 20 sittings should have been conducted to date based on the requirement of three sessions per week.
With only five sittings held thus far, the first session of the year is scheduled to conclude on May 15. Following this, MPs will once again head into a one-month recess.
The opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) previously alleged that while the country faced various impacts of the global economic downturn caused by conflict in the Middle East, MPs from the ruling People’s National Congress (PNC) neglected parliamentary duties to focus on election campaigning.
Commenting on the matter, MDP Parliamentary Group's Deputy Leader Hussain Ziyad (Fittey) said that the failure to hold sittings over the past month was due to fears that parliamentary debates might influence election results.
"The reason sessions weren't held is because of the referendum; they had no defence for it. If the Majlis is in session, MPs are expected to praise the government, but when they go to the islands, the people criticise them. That is why they avoided sittings. Now that the election is over, the Majlis will likely resume next week," Ziyad said.
He further noted that there is currently little work pending in the parliament, with the only significant task remaining being the appointment of non-resident ambassadors.
Opposition figures also expressed frustration last year regarding the lack of progress in the PNC-majority parliament. However, the PNC has maintained that it continues to hold the government accountable.
