The Parliament, on Wednesday, unanimously approved the reintegration of Maldives into The Commonwealth of Nations.
A total of 62 parliamentarians voted in favour of the move, including MPs from the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), the Jumhooree Party (JP), the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) and the Maldives Developmental Alliance (MDA).
Certain parliamentarians who approved of Maldives rejoining the Commonwealth were the same members who voted in favour of leaving the association in 2016.
The parliamentary Committee on National Security also unanimously approved of Maldives rejoining the Commonwealth.
While rejoining the Commonwealth is part of President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih's goals for the first 100 days of his administration, the cabinet passed the decision on November 19.
Maldives left the Commonwealth in 2016 during the tenure of former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom.
Yameen claimed that the organization was meddling with the domestic affairs of the country and differentiating between other member states.
Maldives joined the Commonwealth on July 9, 1982, and left on October 13, 2016, after spending 34 years as a member of the intergovernmental organization.
Upon the Maldives' departure from the Commonwealth, the organization stated that the bloc only worked to strengthen democracy in the country and that they hoped Maldives would join the organization again in the future.
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