Opposition MPs to boycott parliament's inaugural sitting
21 ފެބުރުއަރީ 2018 | ބުދަ 15:22MP Riyaz said said they will not participate in any sitting in which the 12 MPs are being barred from entering
The parliament chamber
Opposition coalition MPs have decided to boycott Wednesday night’s parliament sitting.
MP Abdulla Riyaz, the deputy leader of Jumhoree Party (JP), said they will not participate in any sitting in which the 12 MPs, that were reinstated by the Supreme Court, are being barred from entering.
He added that the government is being run under President Abdulla Yameen’s authoritative rule.
RaajjeTV understands that MPs have not been officially notified of the sitting.
The first sitting of the year will be held at 9pm, at Dharubaaruge. President Abdulla Yameen will deliver his Presidential Address at tonight’s session.
Article 84 of the Constitution states that ‘at the beginning of the first session of each year at the first sitting, the President shall address the People’s Majlis on the state of the country, and may present proposals for improving the state of the country to the People’s Majlis’. It has to be held on the first Monday or Thursday of February.
The year’s first session was to be held on 5th February, but was cancelled, and a state of emergency was announced instead. An extraordinary session of the Parliament was held on Monday and Tuesday, where the government’s proposal to extend the state of emergency was passed. The opposition MPs had boycotted the sitting, and the vote was passed without the constitutionally required quorum.
