2 sittings on Mon for budget, Nasheed no-confidence motion

The Parliament has scheduled two sittings for Monday to move the no-confidence motion against the Speaker of the Parliament and to present the Supplementary Budget and the Budget for next year.

A sittings is scheduled for 9 a.m. on Monday to present the supplementary budget and the estimated budget for next year.

The step-in Speaker on Sunday, Hassan Afeef, who represents the Democrats in parliament, to whom Nasheed also belongs, decided to re-move the resolution.

Deputy Speaker Eva Abdullah, who presided over Sunday’s second sitting in the afternoon, said a decision had been taken on the resolution in the morning session.

The budget for next year is on the agenda for Monday’s sitting; the Speaker Mohamed Nasheed, had already asked the Secretary-General of the parliament, Fathimath Niusha, to table the budget proposal sent by the government for next year.

According to the Finance Act and the Rules of Procedure of Parliament, the Finance Minister must submit the estimated budget for next year to Parliament before November 1 of each year.

However, Finance Minister Ibrahim Ameer decided not to attend the sitting scheduled to present the budget. This decision was followed by an advice from the Attorney General Ibrahim Riffath; that no other work could be done in Parliament without a decision on the no-confidence motion first. Therefore, the budget remains unsubmitted.