The Parliament has announced the switching of political parties of two Parliament members.
At Wednesday's sitting, Speaker Mohamed Aslam said two MPs previously listed as members of the main opposition, Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) are now registered as members of the ruling Peoples' National Congress (PNC). The MPs who made the switch are Inguraidhoo MP Hassan Ahmed and Maradhoo MP Ibrahim Shareef.
Following this move, the PNC's representation in Parliament has risen to 16. When factoring in the two MPs from PNC's sister party, PPM, the Progressive Progress Coalition now boasts 17 MPs. Meanwhile, the current number of MDP members in Parliament has dropped to 42.
Aslam said the change will impact debate time allocation and the composition of standing committees in Parliament. According to parliament rules, a member who switches parties will automatically resign from their committee position. The proposed adjustments are now accessible for viewing on the member's portal. The vote on the appointment of members to the standing committees of the parliament will be taken today and the work of the committees should continue without interruption, Aslam added.
“In order to ensure the uninterrupted continuation of committee work, parties affected by changes in their member proportions must submit new committee member nominations before 12:00 pm today,” Aslam said.
Aslam added that he does not believe that the failure of parties to submit names should not impede committee operations, and work will proceed with the remaining members.
