The Parliament has accepted and sent to the Committee of the Whole House for review a bill proposing an amendment to the Constitution that would result in the loss of a member’s seat if they change the party through which they were elected to the People’s Majlis.
The bill was debated in the Majlis today. Following that, a vote was taken on whether to accept the bill in the Majlis. 69 members voted in favor, while 12 members voted against it.
The bill proposes four main amendments to the Constitution. One amendment is to change the requirement to obtain the approval of two-thirds of the People’s Majlis before making any changes to the Maldivian territory.
The most important amendment in the bill is the addition of two new conditions under which Majlis members would lose their seats. These two conditions are: if an elected member switches to another political party during the term of the Majlis, and if an independent member signs with a political party.
The bill also proposes to give additional powers to the President. This includes giving the President the authority to determine major state policies, provide direction to government institutions, and formulate national development plans and visions.
The amendments proposed in the bill also include allowing foreign military personnel to be present only with the approval of the majority of the Majlis, and allowing foreign military personnel to participate in non-military activities and training conducted under agreements.
The first law that resulted in the loss of Majlis members’ seats was enacted during the presidency of former President Abdulla Yameen. However, when MDP came to power, they repealed that law. Nevertheless, towards the end of the last term of the People’s Majlis, MDP introduced a similar law again.
