Despite mounting backlog of issues facing the capital, Male' City Council, where PNC holds supermajority, fails to convene due to a lack of quorum
Wednesday's Male' City Council meeting was canceled for the second consecutive time due to a lack of quorum, as the majority of councilors from the ruling PNC failed to attend. With only seven members present, including Mayor Adam Azim, the session could not proceed, leading to allegations from the opposition that PNC is deliberately boycotting meetings to obstruct discussions on government-related issues. Although the ruling party holds 14 of the 19 seats on the council, the meeting fell short of the 10 members required to establish a quorum.
A previous meeting of the Male' City Council—that session was also cancelled due to a lack of quorum. | Male' City Council | Male city council
Wednesday's meeting of the Male' City Council, where the ruling PNC holds a supermajority, was cancelled and concluded after failing to meet the required quorum.
Saif Fathih, the Councilor for the North Galolhu constituency, has revealed that Wednesday's session could not be held due to a lack of quorum. Saif also shared a video recording of the council meeting.
Video footage shows Mayor Adam Azim, presiding over the session, announcing that although a quorum of 10 members was required for Wednesday's meeting, only seven members were in attendance.
The officials include Mayor Adam Azim, Central Machchangolhi Councilor Fathimath Ishan, Hulhumale' Councilor Ali Aiman, North Machchangolhi Councilor Saeedha Rashaad, North Galolhu Councilor Saif Fathih, West Galolhu Councilor Mariyam Nazima, and South Machchangolhi Councilor Aishath Nazima.
The Mayor subsequently concluded the meeting, stating that proceedings could not continue due to the lack of a quorum.
Saif stated that "the issues facing Malé have piled up." However, he noted that since a quorum cannot be reached, there is no point in placing any of these matters on the agenda.
Saif also questioned the PNC's motives for seeking to elect new members, asking why the party is moving forward with fresh elections while the current council members remain unable to attend meetings.
Wednesday's agenda included the approval of the minutes from the session held on February 4, followed by the presentation of announcements from the chair.
Several meetings of the Male' City Council have been cancelled in the past due to a lack of quorum, as numerous councilors representing the ruling PNC failed to attend.
Many have accused PNC councilors of deliberately exploiting their supermajority to stall City Council proceedings, leading to several meetings being adjourned due to a lack of quorum. Opposition figures claim that councilors are intentionally obstructing these sessions to prevent the discussion of agenda items related to President Muizzu.
The Male' City Council is comprised of 19 members, including the Mayor and councilors representing the 18 constituencies of the capital. Of these, 14 councilors are members of the ruling People's National Congress (PNC). The quorum required for Male' City Council meetings is 10 members.
