Speaker, chief justice to get MVR 95,125 monthly after parliament vote

Parliament on Wednesday approved increases to the salaries and allowances of the Speaker of Parliament and the Chief Justice, raising their total monthly remuneration to MVR 95,125 each.

The increases, recommended by Parliament's Finance Committee, were approved with 40 votes from MPs of the ruling People's National Congress (PNC), while 12 MPs from the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) voted against them.

The Finance Committee had decided on Tuesday to increase the Speaker's allowances and adjust the Chief Justice's remuneration to match that of the Speaker.

Under the changes approved by Parliament, the Speaker will receive an additional monthly allowance of MVR 22,000, bringing the total monthly remuneration to MVR 95,125.

The Speaker previously received MVR 73,325 per month.

The Chief Justice will receive an additional monthly allowance of MVR 4,125, increasing the total monthly remuneration from MVR 91,000 to MVR 95,125.

The increases were approved following a parliamentary vote on the Finance Committee's recommendations.

Parliament also approved increases to the salaries and allowances of cabinet ministers and local council members on Wednesday.

The changes form part of the Finance Committee's recommendations to revise the remuneration of senior state officials and elected representatives.

The decisions come amid concerns over the country's economic situation and government expenditure.

A resolution opposing salary increases for senior state officials had previously been submitted to Parliament.

The resolution argued that increasing the remuneration of senior officials was unacceptable at a time when the government was implementing measures to reduce public expenditure.

It also stated that several government measures introduced in the name of expenditure reduction had placed additional financial pressure on the public.

The resolution called attention to the country's economic difficulties and questioned the decision to increase the salaries of senior officials under the circumstances.

However, Parliament rejected the resolution without accepting it for consideration.

The salary and allowance increases were subsequently approved with the support of the PNC majority.