Will drag EC members to court for not holding by-election: MP Ameeth
EC has failed to hold by-elections within the deadline set by the Constitution
Mohamed Ameeth, with other lawmakers, attend a court hearing
Maduvvari MP Mohamed Ameeth has vowed to drag Elections Commission (EC) members to court “by the hand” for neglecting to hold the by-election.
After EC ruled in 2017 that a number of MPs have been removed from their parliamentary seats, the commission has failed to hold by-election to elect new members as per the Constitution.
Article 78 of the Constitution states: Whenever there is a vacancy among the members of the People’s Majlis, an election shall be held within sixty days from the date of the vacancy. A by-election shall not be held within six months prior to a general election.
MP Ameeth was one of the 12 lawmakers who was ruled out of parliament by EC, after the Supreme Court declared that MPs will lose their seats if they either switch parties, quit or is expelled after winning on a political party ticket. But Ameeth had requested his removal from the ruling party before the court ruling.
