Press barred from committee meeting on referendum bill

The Independent Institutions Committee decided on Tuesday to bar press from a meeting to discuss the referendum bill currently under review by the Parliament.

The bill in question was submitted by the People’s National Congress (PNC) administration after it announced plans to hold public referendums regarding making changes to local councils, as well as merging two major national elections – the presidential election and the parliamentary election.

The Independent Institutions Committee convened for a meeting at 09:00 am Tuesday for work on the bill. But as soon as the meeting commenced, the committee’s deputy chair, Kelaa MP Abdulla Shareef proposed holding the meeting behind closed doors. The motion was seconded by South Fuvahmulah MP Ibrahim Hussain, and passed with a majority vote of the committee.

The PNC administration has announced plans to dissolve atoll councils, downsize island and city councils, and merge the presidential election and the parliamentary election. The merger of the two national elections requires a public referendum, as it entails cutting down the term of the incumbent parliamentary assembly.