New Majlis gets to work with Nasheed as speaker
The former president was elected speaker with the support of 67 MPs from the 87-member house.
29 May 2019, 9:00 AM
The 19th People’s Majlis held its first regular sitting Wednesday after new lawmakers took their oath of office the previous night.
Former president Mohamed Nasheed was elected speaker at a special sitting on Tuesday night, securing 67 votes in a secret ballot after he was unanimously chosen by the Maldivian Democratic Party’s 65-member ‘super-majority’ parliamentary group. Former speaker Gasim Ibrahim, who was nominated by opposition MP Ahmed Thoriq, received 17 votes.
MDP MP Eva Abdulla was elected deputy speaker with 76 votes in favour and nine against, becoming only the second woman to serve in the post. She was the only nominee.
The special sitting was presided over by MP Ahmed Siyam Mohamed as the longest-serving lawmaker. The chair did not vote and opposition MP-elect Ibrahim Riza was absent from the swearing-in ceremony as he was in Saudi Arabia to perform the Umra pilgrimage.
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