Parliament ends session early amid criticism

The ongoing parliamentary session concluded prematurely, two days ahead of its extended schedule, having held only 27 sittings, according to official statistics.

The Parliament was initially slated to commence its recess last Friday, marking the conclusion of its second session for the year. However, Members of Parliament voted last week to extend the session by an additional week, setting its revised conclusion date for August 21.

A week prior, on Tuesday, the Parliament passed a resolution to adjourn the session until the following Thursday. Consequently, the term is now scheduled to end on Thursday. The Parliament entered recess two days before its anticipated end, having cut short the extended session.

The Parliament has released details regarding the work undertaken during its second session. A total of 27 sittings were conducted, spanning 46 hours.

Additionally, 24 bills were introduced during the session, with seven successfully passed into law.

Further works:

• Six resolutions were proposed, none of which have been adopted.

• The government initiated 11 cases, resolving eight.

• The Speaker filed five cases, two of which were settled during the session.

• Two cases linked to a member's complaint were resolved.

• During the session, 77 questions were posed, but only eight received a response.

• All six urgent cases that were filed have been resolved.

Furthermore, in the second parliamentary session, two cases of contempt of parliament were filed, with one being resolved. According to records, there are currently 396 pending cases within the Parliament.

A total of 127 committee meetings were held during the term, with members dedicating 91 hours and 29 minutes to committee work.

With only 27 sittings held this session, opposition MPs have voiced concerns regarding the unexplained cancellation of sessions. They have also expressed apprehension about the shortening of sessions and the consistent failure of ministers to appear before Parliament for questioning.

These concerns have been raised multiple times within the parliamentary chambers, to which the Speaker of Parliament, Abdul Raheem Abdulla, has already responded. He stated that committee work would proceed even in the absence of parliamentary sittings.

The public discourse continues to heavily feature discussions concerning the salaries of Members of Parliament and their perceived lack of sufficient work. A petition advocating for a reduction in the MVR 82,500 salary has also garnered signatures.

The third parliamentary session is slated to commence in October. However, Deputy Speaker Ahmed Nazim announced on Tuesday that two extraordinary sessions are being convened to finalize outstanding legislative work.