After nearly a year since the Elections Commission (EC) ruled that 12 opposition MPs have lost their seats in parliament, the commission has again requested that money be allotted to hold by-elections for their constituencies.

The EC did not hold by-elections last year even after MVR 26 million was allotted in the 2017 supplementary budget.

EC now requests a MVR 14 million budget from the finance ministry for this year but did not specify a date to hold the by-elections.

A Supreme Court ruling on 13 July 2017 criminalized floor crossing, stating that if an MP had defected, resigned or was removed from his or her party, then that MP will lose his or her seat. The EC then unseated 12 lawmakers based on the ruling.

An anti-defection bill was later ratified in March of this year, it states that MPs that were found to have floor-crossed since 13 July 2017 will be unseated.

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court ruled against revoking the anti-defection law after an appeal from Joint Opposition party members. In a press conference later that night, Kendhoo MP Ali Hussain said that the bill was passed to hold on to the remaining ruling party MPs because of the threat of a no-confidence motion against President Abdulla Yameen.

While the 12 MPs have been barred from the parliament sittings for nearly a year, they have refused to accept their dismissal, claiming that the EC does not have the power to unseat them. The Joint Opposition parties have said that rights of 60,000 citizens have been violated over the MPs’ removal from parliament.