Proposed Amendment on MP Seat Loss Criteria Withdrawn

A bill proposed to amend the Constitution, specifying the conditions under which Members of Parliament (MPs) could forfeit their seats due to party defection, has been withdrawn.

The withdrawal of the bill, initially introduced by Henveyru West MP Hassan Lateef, was confirmed during yesterday’s parliamentary session.

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An anti-defection law, which mandates elected representatives to resign should they switch allegiance to a different political party or align with one following their election, has already been ratified.

Hassan Lateef’s proposal sought to amend Article 73 of the Constitution by incorporating additional clauses.

According to the provisions outlined in the bill, independent MPs would be subject to losing their seats should they switch party affiliations or endorse a particular party, even in the absence of a formal resignation. Furthermore, it stipulated that voting against the directives of one’s party would also result in seat forfeiture.

Moreover, the proposed amendment included a provision requiring any MP who receives a petition signed by a predetermined percentage of their constituency’s electorate to deliberate upon the matter and conduct a public referendum on their continuance in office. The MP would be mandated to resign if a majority of voters were in favour of their removal.

In addition to the withdrawal of Lateef’s bill, two other proposed amendments to the Constitution have also been retracted. These include the proposition to ascertain the optimal number of parliamentary members and the authority to appoint individuals to the Election Commission.