Parliamentary sitting postponed due to lack of quorum

Wednesday’s parliamentary sitting has been postponed to 10:00am as the required quorum was not met.

Parliamentary sittings typically begin at 9:00am after the ringing of the quorum bell. However, today's sitting could not commence even by 9:10am as the quorum was not met.

Presiding over the sitting, Deputy Speaker Ahmed Nazim stated that although the quorum bell had been rung to commence proceedings, the required number of members was not present. He subsequently announced that the sitting would be postponed until 10:00am.

According to the Parliament’s standing orders, the quorum is defined as 25 percent of the total membership. In the 20^th parliamentary assembly, which consists of 93 members, the minimum number of members needed to be present for a sitting to begin, or the quorum, is 23.

However, only six lawmakers had been present for Wednesday's sitting. 

The delay comes during a term marked by infrequent parliamentary sittings, with only 18 sittings held so far as of Tuesday. According to the standing orders, the current session is set to conclude tomorrow, after which the parliament will go into recess.

The incumbent parliamentary assembly— where the ruling People’s National Congress (PNC) holds supermajority — has engaged in limited legislative activity over the course of this current session. 

Despite the considerable salaries and extensive benefits provided by the state to members of the parliament, along with the substantial annual budget allocated for parliamentary administration, public criticism has continued to grow over the perceived lack of productivity in relation to the level of compensation and resources afforded to lawmakers.