Parliament accepts resolution on Aasandha to foreigners married to Maldivians

Parliament, on Wednesday, has accepted the resolution submitted seeking the opinion of lawmakers regarding the unavailability of Aasandha services to foreigners married to Maldivians.

The resolution, submitted by North Galolhu MP Mohamed Ibrahim (Kudoo) on Monday. underscored that, constitutionally, foreigners married to Maldivians are granted the same rights as Maldivian citizens, except for the right to vote and contest in elections. Nevertheless, he emphasized that foreigners married to Maldivians who have resided in the Maldives for a long time, lacked access to services.

Parliament, on Wednesday, accepted the resolution with the unanimous consensus of 47 lawmakers in attendance.

In the resolution, Kudoo stressed that Aasandha is only applicable to Maldivian natives despite the constitution defining a Maldivian citizen as the citizen of the Maldives at the commencement of the constitution, children born to a citizen of the Maldives and foreigners, who in accordance with the law, become citizens of the Maldives.

Kudoo, noting foreigners can only obtain Maldivian citizenship in accordance with the provisions of the Maldivian Citizenship Act, said the opportunity has not been facilitated to foreigners married to Maldivians as the legislature is currently older than half a century.

The opposition lawmaker emphasized that some foreigners married to Maldivians have reached old age and are suffering from serious chronic illnesses, requiring ongoing medical care that comes with significant financial burden. He added that some foreigners married to Maldivians have been residing in the Maldives for years, even working in the country to earn income.

He therefore asserted that they, too, have the right to receive the state’s protection and constitutional benefits without any form of discrimination.

In this trajectory, he underscored that the state has the authority to implement special measures for individuals or groups who are in a disadvantaged position compared to the standard of normalcy defined by the constitution.