Parliament approves Rameela as rights body president
Dr Rameela’s nomination was submitted to parliament on Monday.
The People’s Majlis on Tuesday approved the appointment of Dr Aishath Rameela as president of the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM).
The position became vacant after the five-year term of the former president, Mariyam Muna, ended in November last year. Dr Rameela’s nomination was submitted to parliament on Monday.
During an extraordinary sitting held on Monday, the nomination was referred to the Human Rights Committee for review. The committee approved the appointment at its meeting the same day.
The committee’s report was tabled at another extraordinary sitting on Tuesday, where the appointment was put to a vote. Dr Rameela’s appointment was approved with 38 votes.
A total of 38 members voted in favour of the appointment. Parliament has 93 members. As the legislature is currently in recess, several members were out of Malé at the time of the sittings.
Around 50 members attended the extraordinary sitting held on Monday, including 46 members of the People’s National Congress and five members of the Maldivian Democratic Party. The second extraordinary sitting held on Tuesday had a single item on the agenda, the vote on the HRCM presidency, after which the session was adjourned.
The opposition MDP has announced a boycott of the extraordinary sittings, stating that they are unlawful.
Dr Rameela was appointed as a member of the HRCM earlier last month. She resigned from the cabinet in December 2024, citing health reasons.
Under amendments to existing laws, presidents of independent institutions, including the HRCM, are no longer selected by a vote within the commission. Instead, the President nominates a chairperson from among commission members, subject to parliamentary approval.
