The ruling People’s National Congress (PNC) obstructed today’s People’s Majlis sitting by breaking quorum, in an apparent protest against Deputy Speaker Ahmed Nazim presiding over the session.
To begin the sitting, Nazim announced that despite ringing the quorum bell, a sufficient number of members had not gathered. He said he would attempt to convene the session at 10:00 am.
However, when the quorum remained unmet by 10:00 am., Nazim officially announced the cancellation of today’s sitting and scheduled the next session for tomorrow.
Reports indicate that although PNC MPs were present on the parliament premises, they remained in the lounge and courtyard areas, intentionally refusing to enter the chamber to establish a quorum.
According to the Standing Orders of the People’s Majlis, a quorum consists of 25 percent of the total membership. With the current parliament comprising 93 MPs, at least 23 MPs must be present for a sitting to proceed.
The move to block the session follows Nazim's removal from the PNC MPs' official WhatsApp group.
Furthermore, on April 21, Nazim was removed from two of the parliament's most influential committees: the State-Owned Enterprises (SOE) Committee and the National Security Services (241) Committee.
In addition to these developments, two separate sources have confirmed to Adhadhu that the Maldives Police Service’s Intelligence Department has compiled an extensive report concerning Nazim.
