Govt seeks referendum requirement before MPs lose seats
PNC Parliamentary Group Deputy Leader Ibrahim Shujau submitted the new amendment, which adds another clause to the existing provisions.
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The government on Saturday submitted a bill to Parliament seeking to amend the Constitution so that Members of Parliament may only lose their seats for party defection or expulsion after a referendum or roll-call vote is held among voters in their constituency.
The bill follows a constitutional amendment passed in November last year—approved within six hours by the PNC-majority Parliament—which allows MPs to lose their seats automatically if they resign from their party, join another party, or are expelled, without voter involvement.
A petition filed in the Supreme Court seeking to invalidate the amendment, which they argued was introduced in haste to prevent defection or alleged influence from wealthy individuals, remains stalled.
PNC Parliamentary Group Deputy Leader Ibrahim Shujau submitted the new amendment, which adds another clause to the existing provisions. The first reading of the bill is scheduled for today’s parliamentary sitting.
Under the current constitutional amendment, MPs may lose their seats in four circumstances:
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1-
Resigning from the political party under whose ticket they were elected
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2-
Joining another political party
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3-
Being expelled from their political party according to legal procedures
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4-
Being elected as an independent and then joining a political party during the same parliamentary term
Shujau’s proposal introduces a requirement for a public vote in cases of defection, joining another party, or expulsion. A simple majority in favour of removal would result in the MP losing the seat. Under the proposal:
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If voters choose not to remove the MP, they may continue to serve as an independent member
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If the MP later joins a political party after surviving the vote, the parliamentary seat will be lost automatically
The proposal does not grant independent MPs similar voting protection if they decide to join a political party; they would still lose their seats under the current rules.
Galolhu South MP Meekail Ahmed Naseem of the MDP proposed that expulsion cases be decided through a secret ballot among constituents, but the motion was rejected with 77 votes.
