Parliament Likely to Remain Inactive Until After Eid al-Adha Holidays
Parliament of Maldives | Photo: People’s Majlis
The Parliament, which reopened for its second session of the year yesterday, has not scheduled any further sittings for the week and is not expected to reconvene until after the Eid al-Adha holidays.
According to the standing orders, the legislative body is required to hold plenary sittings three days a week—on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Despite this, no sitting was held today, and none has been scheduled for Wednesday. Parliamentarians have not been provided an official explanation for the disruption in the schedule.
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A meeting of the Human Rights and Gender Committee, which had been set for 11:00 am today, was also cancelled. The Parliament’s secretariat stated that no announcement had been made regarding a sitting for today, but did not offer a reason for the decision or confirm when the next sitting would take place.
Several parliamentarians indicated that the lack of scheduled sittings was due to an absence of pending work and suggested that sessions would resume only after the Eid break. With Hajj Day falling on Thursday and the four-day Eid holiday beginning on Friday, it is widely believed that Parliament will remain inactive until at least Tuesday of next week.
Parliament had previously gone into recess at the end of the first session on 15 May, having reportedly completed 77 percent of its scheduled work. The pause in proceedings now comes amid growing concern over repeated, unexplained cancellations of sittings.
Members of the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), which holds 12 out of 93 seats, have frequently criticised the lack of transparency surrounding these interruptions. Speaker Abdul Raheem Abdulla has previously defended the institution, stating that although plenary sittings may not be taking place due to limited floor activity, committee work continues in parallel.
Public discontent with the apparent inactivity of lawmakers has also been reflected in a recent petition calling for a reduction in their monthly remuneration, which currently stands at MVR 82,500.
