PPM backs barring soldiers from voting
Majority Leader Ahmed Nihan contended that the changes are necessary to ensure public confidence in the military, insisting that the party is working “genuinely with honest intentions” for the good of the military.
04 Mar 2017, 9:00 AM
The parliamentary group of the ruling Progressive Party of Maldives has backed controversial plans by the government to bar soldiers from voting.
MP Abdul Raheem Abdulla told the press on Thursday that the party welcomes the move as a step towards “establishing a military that is free of all political influences and to make sure [soldiers] are not affected by politics.”
Defence Minister Adam Shareef Umar announced Tuesday that the government has decided to abolish article 20 of the Armed Forces Act, which assures the right to vote for servicemen and women in the Maldives National Defence Force.
The PPM controls a comfortable majority in the 85-member parliament.
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