Central Henveiru MP Ali Azim has said that members of the public have rejected 90 percent of MPs elected to the 19th Parliament, and that the parliament should respect their vote and postpone decisions until the 20th Parliament is convened.
Central Henveiru MP Ali Azim said on Tuesday that members of the public have rejected 90 percent of MPs elected to the 19th Parliament, and that the parliament should respect their vote and postpone decisions until the 20th Parliament is convened.
Speaking in Parliament today, MP Azim, who is the Parliamentary Group Leader for The Democrats, stated that the current session of Parliament is scheduled to continue until May 13, despite less than 10 percent of MPs retaining the confidence of the people.
He stated that although the law dictates that Parliament should continue until the end of the session, it would not be the most logical route to continue making important decisions against the choice of voters who have elected new MPs for the 20th Parliament in the elections conducted on Sunday.
"We must respect these choices and step back from making decisions that will impact the people. I don't think it is the wisest way for the current Parliament to continue making decisions under present conditions," said MP Azim.
Noting that it would be best to wait until the 20th Parliament is sworn in, MP Azim requested that sitting MPs refrain from making major decisions during this time.
In response to MP Azim's comments, Speaker of Parliament Mohamed Aslam said that there were no rules that would prevent the current Parliament from deciding and passing matters within this period.
Speaker Aslam also said that even under these conditions, all MPs were required by law to continue performing the functions of the Parliament until MPs themselves bring changes to the rules governing parliament sessions.
The ruling People's National Congress (PNC) was able to secure a supermajority in the 20th Parliament with an overwhelming victory of 66 seats in the parliamentary elections held on Sunday. The opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) trailed behind with only 12 seats secured in the new Parliament.
The Democrats, Adhaalath Party (AP) and former president Abdulla Yameen's People's National Front (PNF) did not win any seats in the election, which saw a voter turnout of 75 percent.
Most of the 87 MPs from the 19th Parliament who sought reelection on Sunday were not successful in their campaigns.
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