The parliament committee has approved a bill to ban those with asylum from contesting presidential elections.

The bill was proposed by ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM)’s Parliamentary Group leader Ahmed Nihan Hussain Manik and was approved by the committee on independent institutions at its meeting on Tuesday.

The bill highlights that Article 109(a) of the Maldives Constitution already states that an elected leader must be Maldivian citizen born to parents who are Maldivian citizens and must not be a foreign citizen, and that therefore there should be an amendment that states that a Maldivian who has had dual citizenship will only be allowed to run in a presidential election 10 years after renouncing foreign citizenship.

At the sitting on Tuesday, the ruling party’s Kelaa MP Ali Arif proposed another amendment to the bill to also bar those who received asylum in a foreign country from contesting a presidential election until 10 years after they renounce their asylum.

Political parties and members of the public have accused MP Arif of targeting opposition leaders, former President Mohamed Nasheed and Jumhoree Party leader Qasim Ibrahim, who have received asylum abroad after fleeing their prison conviction.

Even after the committee’s approval, MPs still have the opportunity to propose changes to the bill.

The opposition is continuing their boycott of the parliament as a show of their disapproval of Speaker Abdulla Maseeh and the parliament administration.