JSC composition change in next parliamentary term

President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih said on Wednesday that the government will propose a constitutional amendment to change the composition of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) when the new session of parliament begins in February.

Changing the composition of the JSC is an electoral pledge of this government. It was also part of the 'Agenda 19' campaign by the party during the 2019 parliamentary election campaign. The Attorney General's (AG) office started the process "officially" in September, claiming it was to fulfil the promise.

Responding to a question from a journalist at a press conference held Wednesday about the failure of the government to submit amendments to the JSC even after the completion of four years, President Solih said he would propose a change in the composition of the JSC when the first session of parliament begins next year.

As part of the government's efforts to change the composition of the JSC, the AG office held discussions with institutions and NGOs and sought their views on the changes it wished to make.

Those who participated in the discussions were:

The research paper also included reports and articles published by international organisations and others on the reform of the judiciary and JSC.  

The AG's office began the process of reforming the JSC in October. As part of the exercise, a number of stakeholders were met and their views were sought on the issues in the JSC and the changes that need to be made.

In a paper published on December 1 by the AG's office on these meetings, most of the participants in the discussion had not wanted to have political members in the commission. In particular, it was pointed out that the Speaker and MPs should not sit in the commission. Many wanted the commission to include judges and professionals, according the AG's office.