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 However, when MDP came to power, they repealed that law.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.

The ruling PNC has condemned the main opposition party, MDP, for allegedly spreading misleading information.

In a statement released tonight, PNC said that over the past year, President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu’s administration has run the government responsibly, with integrity towards public finances, and with transparency by providing all information to the public.

The statement said that while state expenditure increased by an average of 15% over the past three years, this year it only increased by 2.5%. As a result of controlling expenses, the budget deficit has been reduced by 378 million rufiyaa to below 3.6%, according to PNC’s statement.

The statement also mentioned that after resolving issues related to unrecorded expenses from foreign-aided projects of the previous government being included in this year’s expenses, they are now publishing detailed weekly reports of expenditure and revenue.

PNC stated that while all RTI requests submitted to the President’s Office have been answered, responses to RTI requests to ministries are also being provided. They claimed that during the previous administration, no RTI requests to state companies were answered.

President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu had previously revealed that over 70 press conferences were held and ministers provided information to various media over 700 times in the past year. The statement also said that no action was taken to obstruct or penalize any media during this period.

According to PNC, this government is the first in Maldivian history to start publicizing cabinet decisions for public viewing. They said that since March of this year, every cabinet decision has been updated and published.

The PNC emphasized that these actions demonstrate their commitment to transparency and responsible governance, in contrast to what they claim are misleading statements from the opposition MDP.

Constitution to be amended to make MPs lose seats upon party switching

The ruling PNC has begun work to introduce a bill to the People’s Majlis (Parliament) to amend the Constitution so that members of parliament lose their seats if they change their party affiliation after being elected.

There is already an anti-defection law that stipulates that MPs will lose their seats if they switch to another party.

The first law that made MPs lose their seats was enacted during former President Abdullah Yameen’s administration. However, when MDP came to power, they repealed that law. But towards the end of the last term of the People’s Majlis, MDP introduced a similar law again.

The bill was submitted on behalf of MDP by then-member for Baarah constituency, Ahmed Abdullah. The bill was passed by the Majlis and ratified by the President. According to the Anti-Defection Law, if members change the party they were elected from, they must resign from their membership voluntarily.

The three situations where resignation is required are: when a member voluntarily leaves the party they were elected from and joins another party, when they register with another party, and when an independent member joins any political party during the term they were elected for.

If any of these three situations occur, resignation is optional. The law does not specify what happens if they do not resign.

Now, PNC is working to enshrine these provisions in the Constitution, which would make them more difficult to change in the future.

Steps are being taken to prevent foreign troops from staying without parliamentary approval

A proposal has been submitted to amend the Constitution to allow foreign troops to stay in the Maldives only with the approval of a majority of the members of the People’s Majlis (Parliament).

The bill to amend the Constitution was submitted to the Majlis on behalf of the government by PNC member for Hulhudhoo constituency, Mohamed Shahid. He proposed to amend Article 251 (c) of the Constitution.

The current article states that no part of the territory of the Maldives shall be used for military purposes by any foreign party without the approval of a majority of the total membership of the People’s Majlis.

The proposed amendment states that no permission shall be given to any foreign party to use any part of the Maldivian territory for military purposes, whether under an agreement or otherwise, without the approval of a majority of the Majlis.

It further states that except for participation in military training exercises under agreements, no permission shall be given for foreign troops to operate in any form in the Maldivian territory for military purposes without the approval of a majority of the total membership of the Majlis.

Before May 10 this year, Indian troops were present in the Maldives. They were personnel who came to operate two helicopters and a Dornier aircraft gifted by India. However, President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu sent the troops back after assuming office.

Now these vehicles are being operated by Indian civilians.

Fenaka has revealed that the past year has been a year in which many efforts were made to expand and develop electrical services.

This includes work done to increase electrical capacity and upgrade the electrical network.

The company has provided a total of 61 generators to 56 islands where they provide electrical services over the past year. This is an increase of 36.7 megawatts when measured in megawatts. In addition to acquiring new generators, work has also been carried out to overhaul many of the generators currently in use. Furthermore, the company has done a lot of work to upgrade the electrical network. This includes installing new transformers and upgrading existing transformers.

Fenaka has also carried out work to connect electricity to housing units being established in various islands of the Maldives during the past year. In this regard, they have connected electricity to 360 newly established housing units in B. Thulhaadhoo, HDh. Nolhivaranfaru and Th. Thimarafushi.

To find a permanent solution to the electricity problem, MOUs have been signed and work has begun to establish Central Power Stations in the three most populated cities: Addu, Fuvahmulah, and Kulhudhuffushi. This includes establishing a 32 megawatt capacity power plant in Addu City and 20 megawatt capacity power plants in Fuvahmulah and Kulhudhuffushi City. In addition to these three cities, an MOU has also been signed to establish a 20 megawatt capacity power plant in L. Gan. Among these, the CPS to be established in Addu City has been hande been handed over to a contractor and practical work on the project has begun.

Among the projects underway in the islands to improve the quality of electrical services provided by Fenaka, three new office buildings and day room extension projects in three islands have been completed this year.

President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has announced plans to transform the Muliaage vehicle garage on Lily Magu into the “Zuvaanunge Third Space,” a dedicated centre addressing the lack of venues for youth activities. The space will focus on empowering young people, fostering their skills, and building strong community connections.

The decision, made during Sunday’s Cabinet meeting, follows recommendations from Ministers and a proposal by the Minister of Construction and Infrastructure. The plan includes developing the space with a focus on safety, especially given the area’s proximity to schools and heavy traffic. A comprehensive traffic management strategy will be implemented alongside the transformation.

The Zuvaanunge Third Space will offer diverse opportunities for skill-building, creative expression, and social interaction. Planned activities include boot camps, skill exchange programmes, virtual reality training, community art walls, culinary events, and mental health initiatives. It will also host interactive workshops and provide dedicated spaces for promoting well-being.

The centre is envisioned as an eco-friendly hub, featuring a cafeteria offering healthy, locally inspired cuisine and a platform for small and medium food vendors to showcase their products. President Dr Muizzu highlighted the importance of such spaces in nurturing the potential of Maldivian youth and creating opportunities for personal and community development.

This initiative reaffirms the Government’s commitment to fostering youth welfare and providing inclusive spaces for recreational, educational, and social engagement.

The First Lady, Madam Sajida Mohamed, has urged civil servants to work collectively to implement the Government’s policies for the people and inform the public about the significant impact of ‘vaping’ on public health.

She made the remark at a function today to honour the 52 weeks of work of the Ministry of Health civil servants. Speaking on the occasion at the Orange Hiyaa, the First Lady highlighted the unwavering dedication of health professionals. She urged civil servants and policy-level workers to work together and officials to continue with the work that is already underway.

To celebrate the occasion, the longest-serving civil employee at the Ministry cut a cake. The First Lady also handed over the badge of thanks to the Ministry of Health civil servants in recognition of their work.

The biggest achievement in this government’s first year is the effort to save the Maldives from bankruptcy, President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has said.

Speaking at a ceremony held at the Social Center tonight to mark the government’s first anniversary, President Dr. Muizzu said that some people have been noting that the economy was unmanageable and the country was on the verge of bankruptcy when this government took over. However, he said that the alarm bells of potential bankruptcy started ringing before this government came to power.

President Dr. Muizzu said that the alarm of potential bankruptcy started ringing before this government took over. He mentioned that an IMF report released six days before he took office had described the country’s situation.

He also said that the country was in debt of over 120 billion rufiyaa.

“So, they planned to bankrupt the country, failed to manage the economy for five years, exhausted that year’s supplementary budget, spent extra, and made a document to legalize spending without getting the Parliament’s approval and passing the budget, which is against the Constitution. This is how they managed the economy,” the President said.

The President said that the people decided to move towards a Maldives for Maldivians to recover from an economy that was being pushed towards bankruptcy. He said that the previous government had printed 8 billion rufiyaa, which was the situation as of November 17, 2023.

At that time, financial institutions were predicting that the Maldives would go bankrupt by April 2024, the President said. He said he took over a country in such a precarious state.

“There are many reasons why they were saying this. In the five years of the previous government, they spent 22.7 billion rufiyaa, and an additional 50.9 billion rufiyaa. They also printed 8.4 billion rufiyaa. The interest on debt was increasing by 1.4 billion rufiyaa annually. So this was the situation we inherited. In other words, out of every 100 rufiyaa the state received, 24 rufiyaa had to be used for loan repayment. Out of that, 16 rufiyaa had to be paid as interest,” the President said.

The President said that despite this situation, this government has managed to reach today without going bankrupt by shaping policies to pay due debts without printing money. He said they have overcome the economic destruction and the pit that the previous government had pushed the country into.

Therefore, the President said that the biggest task accomplished in this government’s 52 weeks was overcoming that situation, and that this was the biggest achievement.

President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has decided tonight to bring significant changes by 2026 if the regulation requiring resorts and guesthouses to convert a certain amount of their dollar earnings through banks is implemented and things proceed as planned.

Speaking at a ceremony held at the Social Center to mark the government’s first anniversary, President Dr. Muizzu said that he will not change the regulation mandating the conversion of dollars earned from the tourism sector through Maldivian banks, and those working in the sector must comply with the law and regulations. As the President said this, everyone in the center stood up and applauded.

“I’m not going to change the regulation. I won’t change the regulation, I’m saying this very clearly,” the President said.

President Dr. Muizzu said that in the past year alone, the tourism sector generated a total revenue of $4.5 billion. However, he said only 1.5 percent of that was converted through banks. The President also said that if dollars are converted according to the newly set regulation, about 15-20% could be converted through banks.

“The benefit of this is that government companies currently have to obtain dollars unofficially from the black market at high prices. When dollars have to be obtained from the black market at high prices, it actually drives up the black market rate,” President Dr. Muizzu said.

“So, if the tourism industry starts converting to banks in accordance with the regulation starting from January 1, God willing, by July of next year at the latest, arrangements will be made for government-owned companies to obtain dollars directly at the official rate without having to convert through the black market. This will bring about a significant improvement.”

With this change, the President said that instead of the current $500 sold to each passenger departing from Velana International Airport, $1,000 could be sold. However, he said this could only be done in the first quarter of 2026 if things go well.

“If $1000 can be bought at the bank rate, it will be a great relief for ordinary citizens traveling abroad. So within the first quarter of 2026, we can make $1000 available if this starts from January,” the President said.

The President also said that if dollars are converted sustainably from next January to the first quarter of 2026, the credit card limit could be increased to $1400. The current credit card limit is $700.

In addition, the President said that the proportion of dollars released for TT (Telegraphic Transfer) will be increased and this will be implemented from July of next year.

“I would say that we will stand on the side of the people. I’m not going to change this regulation. I won’t change it. I’m saying very clearly that I won’t change the regulation,” the President said.

According to the new regulation published by MMA, these measures were taken to strengthen the retention of foreign currency earnings in the Maldives and increase foreign currency liquidity.

According to it, resorts, hotels, and vessels categorized as Category A must deposit and convert to rufiyaa an amount equivalent to $500 per tourist for the total number of tourists arrived that month.

And guesthouses and hotels operating in inhabited islands categorized as Category B, which have registered 50 rooms or fewer, must deposit and convert to rufiyaa an amount equivalent to $25 per tourist for the total number of tourists arrived that month, as stated in the MMA regulation.