Ibu to take office on Nov 17

President-elect Ibrahim Mohamed Solih will take the oath of office on November 17, following a Sunday night vote in parliament on the issue.

Presidents have traditionally been sworn in on Republic Day, November 11. But the incumbent, Abdulla Yameen, took the oath of office on November 17 due to delays after the 2013 election.

The opposition wanted the swearing-in date to be November 11 – the 50th anniversary of the republic – but the ruling party said Yameen’s five-year term ended six days later.

Despite lawmakers arguing during an earlier parliament session that the date should be November 11, a committee found that the declaration signed by Yameen, the parliament speaker and the chief justice in 2013 said the presidential term began on November 17, the day Yameen took the oath of office.