Parliament Moves to Elect Media Commission President

Parliament has begun the process to elect the President of the Media and Broadcasting Commission (Media Commission) from among the seven members already appointed to the body.

The move follows provisions in the Maldives Media and Broadcasting Regulation Act, which require Parliament to elect the President from within the elected membership to lead the Commission and ensure its effective functioning.

advertisement

advertisement

advertisement

Under the Act, the seven-member Media Commission consists of three members appointed by Parliament and four chosen by the media sector—two representing broadcasters and two representing other media outlets. The President will be elected by Parliament, while the Vice-President will be selected by Commission members through a secret ballot.

Parliament on Wednesday referred the matter to the Committee on Independent Institutions. The committee met today and decided to interview members before making its recommendation to Parliament.

During Tuesday’s sitting, Parliament approved three members to the newly established Media Commission: Sofa Shafeeq, former President of the dissolved Maldives Broadcasting Commission; its former member, Aminath Saraahath Izzath; and Mohamed Farshath, a former member of the Civil Service Commission. Following their endorsement, the President formally appointed them to the Commission later that day.

The remaining four seats, representing the media industry, were filled without a formal vote due to uncontested nominations. Former Broadcom members Zamath Ahmed Waheed and Abdulazeez Ibrahim were appointed to represent broadcasters, while Hussain Shageef and Simaha Naseem were named as representatives for other media outlets.

According to the Elections Commission of the Maldives, the lack of sufficient applicants meant that elections were not required, resulting in automatic appointments for the four nominees.