Absence of ruling coalition lawmakers under scrutiny

The joint parliamentary group of the ruling coalition is looking into the absence of several lawmakers from Saturday’s sitting of parliament.

The People’s Majlis broke for a recess of a month and a half without voting on key pieces of legislation proposed by the new administration of President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, including a bill on granting sweeping powers to presidential commissions formed to investigate unresolved murders and recover stolen assets.

With nine coalition lawmakers absent, there was a lack of quorum to put the bill to a vote.

“The Jumhooree Party will look in to why MPs belonging to the party were not present at the sitting. I believe it is the role of the other parties to decide whether or not they will look in to the absence of some MPs,” MP Abdulla Riyaz, the JP’s parliamentary group leader, told the Maldives Independent.