Amendment Proposed to Parliamentary Rules Requiring Votes on Resolutions Before Debate

An amendment to the regulations of the People’s Majlis has been submitted, requiring resolutions presented to Parliament to be put to a vote prior to opening floor debates.

The amendment to Article 191 of the Standing Orders of the People’s Majlis was submitted by independent member Abdul Hannan Aboobakur, MP for Thulhaadhoo Constituency.

advertisement

advertisement

Under the proposed amendment, an initial vote to accept or reject a resolution presented to the Majlis must take place before preliminary debate begins. If the vote fails at this preliminary stage, the resolution will automatically be voided.

“If a resolution passes the acceptance vote, it will proceed to the relevant committee following preliminary debate. If it fails to pass the acceptance vote, the resolution becomes void, and no further debate will take place on the matter,” Hannan’s amendment states.

Under the current rules of the Majlis, when a resolution is introduced, a vote on its acceptance is held only after preliminary debate has concluded. The existing framework grants every parliamentarian the right to introduce resolutions to draw the attention of lawmakers to various pressing public issues.

Passing this amendment would create a higher threshold for resolutions, effectively reducing the opportunities for MPs to debate them on the parliamentary floor.