Government coalition gets majority in 8 out of 13 committees

The government coalition has been given majority of seats in 8 out of 13 standing committees in the parliament.

The five-member select committee appointed for this task passed today, to give 61 percent of committee seats to the government coalition parties Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) and Maldives Development Alliance (MDA).

The committee passed to include 5 PPM members in 11 committees each, 4 PPM members in 1 committee, and 1 MDA member in 8 committees each.

Since each committee is made up of 11 members, the government coalition, with 6 seats, will have majority in the 8 committees that have 5 PPM members and 1 MDA member.

Opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) was given 4 seats in 9 committees each, and 1 seat in 3 committees each.

Jumhooree Party (JP), which recently disaffiliated from the government coalition, was given 2 seats in 11 committees, and 1 seat in 1 committee.

Adhaalath Party, which has only 1 member in the parliament, was given 1 seat in 2 committees.

Riyaz Rasheed, chairperson of the select committee appointed to decide the number of slots given to parties in the standing committees, said that the government coalition will have majority in the 8 most important committees of the parliament.

Leader of Jumhooree Party (JP) Gasim Ibrahim said that the party’s parliamentary group had decided to include 1 JP member in the Privileges Committee, and 2 JP members in remaining committees.

The only parliament member of Adhaalath Party Anaaraa Naeem said that the party had decided to participate in the Social Affairs Committee and the National Security Committee.

PPM, MDA and MDP said that they will hold further discussions within the parties, before finalising how to use the slots.

The select committee has not yet decided the slot ratio for the Security Services Committee.

The standing committees of the parliament are General Purpose Committee, Petition Committee, Privileges Committee, Ethics Committee, Secondary Legislation Committee, Public Accounts Committee, Economic Affairs Committee, Social Affairs Committee, Independent Institutions Committee, Government Oversight Committee, National Development Committee, and National Security Committee.