MDP requests extraordinary parliament sitting
During the sitting, MDP submitted a motion to extend the term, but the speaker ignored the motion.
By
Mohamed Muzayyin Nazim
Ruling MDP's parliamentary group has submitted a request to the parliament to hold extraordinary sittings, as the second parliamentary term of the year concluded and the parliament went into recess on Thursday.
According to the rules of the procedure of the parliament:
-
Parliamentary sittings will be divided into three terms each year
-
The second term of the year ended on Thursday
-
This year's third term will begin on August
Parliament held a sitting on Thursday after days of deadlock following Speaker Mohamed Nasheed and Deputy Speaker Eva Abdulla's decision to recuse themselves from chairing sittings pending a vote on the no-confidence motions filed against them.
During the sitting, MDP submitted a motion to extend the term, but the speaker ignored the motion saying that the precedent in extending the parliamentary term is to submit the proposal by the chair and not by an individual MP or a parliamentary group.
With concerns about the session ending with the motion denied, the MDP Parliamentary Group (PG) held a press conference at the parliament secretariat afterwards. MDP has submitted a petition signed by 29 MPs to hold extraordinary sittings, the group's media coordinator, Velidhoo MP Mohammed Abdullah Shafeeg said.
The request for holding the sittings was made under Section 45(d) of the Rules of Procedure. The article states:
-
One-third of the members of parliament (29 members) can submit a motion with reasons to the speaker requesting extraordinary sittings
-
The speaker must arrange for the sittings to be held within 14 days, including holidays, of the motion
The motion by MDP also stated the reasons for holding the extraordinary session. These include:
-
To reconstitute the standing committees
-
To decide on the amendments submitted to the parliament's rules of procedure
-
To decide on the no-confidence motions submitted against the speaker and deputy speaker
Related
Related
MPs blackmailed to resign Nasheed's confidence motion: Ilyas
Nasheed's confidence motion should precede budget, MDP says
Nasheed wants to stay in office despite no confidence: Aslam
