President authorised to constitute religious advisory body
The parliament has granted President Abdulla Yameen the power to appoint members to the Fatwa Majlis, an advisory body that has the final say on religious disputes.
22 Nov 2016, 9:00 AM
President Abdulla Yameen has been granted the power to appoint members to the Fatwa Majlis, an advisory body that has the final say on religious disputes.
MPs voted 43-23 with three abstentions to amend the 1994 Protection of Religious Unity Act to authorise the president to appoint members to the five-member council without parliamentary approval.
According to the government-sponsored amendment, the president will directly appoint three members as well as a fourth member of his choosing from the faculty of the Islamic University of Maldives. The fifth member will be recommended by the Islamic minister.
The five-member council is presently comprised of two members chosen by the president, a judge selected by the chief justice, a board member of the Islamic University and a member chosen by the ministry of Islamic affairs.
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