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.

Parliament also debated a resolution about freeing former president Mohamed Nasheed.

The resolution called on the Supreme Court and prosecutor general to review the jail term of Nasheed. It was submitted with cross-party support of 49 MPs.

Most MPs backed the resolution, with some remarking the judiciary had been used to hand down politicised and personalised verdicts under Yameen’s presidency and that people had voted him out because of it.

Some lawmakers condemned the judiciary.

“All this [injustice] was committed because of judgments made by judges. So, the acts of these judges should also be investigated through this resolution,” PPM MP Ibrahim Didi said.