Inguraidhoo MP Ibrahim Falah, the Parliamentary Group Leader of the ruling People's National Congress (PNC), has announced that he will not contest for the vacant position of Deputy Speaker of the People's Majlis.
Falah claimed that he has no interest in the role following media reports speculating whether he would seek the position.
"For the information of the press, I am not contesting for the chair of the Majlis," Falah said.
The position of Deputy Speaker became vacant today following the resignation of Dhiggaru MP Ahmed Nazim.
Nazim announced his resignation shortly before today’s 09:00 am session was scheduled to begin. Speaker of the Parliament and Fonadhoo MP Abdul Raheem Abdulla, who presided over the sitting, formally announced that the matter had been concluded following Nazim's resignation.
The session to elect a new Deputy Speaker is scheduled for tomorrow. However, the Parliament Secretariat has not yet disclosed the time for the sitting.
The PNC has not yet revealed which member it will nominate for the post. It is widely expected that a senior member of the party's parliamentary group will be appointed to the role.
A no-confidence motion against Nazim had been submitted on May 14, signed by 73 members of the PNC parliamentary group. The motion alleged that he had compromised the integrity of the Parliament by acting with political bias.
