The results of Saturday’s parliamentary election has lent confidence towards the bill on empowering inquiry commissions getting through, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has said. 

President Solih said this while speaking to gatherers at a celebratory rally held in capital city Malé following the Maldivian Democratic Party’s landslide victory at the ballot box.

The much-anticipated bill on granting statutory authority to two presidential inquiry commissions was withdrawn for committee review, on Thursday.

The bill, which gives them support of other state institutions, has been criticised by the opposition as impeding on the authority of said institutions.

President Solih has established committees to investigate unresolved murder cases and ‘enforced’ disappearances, as well as for tracing misappropriated state funds and ‘asset recovery’.

The bill has been put on the agenda three times, with the lack of a quorum causing failure for it to come to a vote each time; the bill required over half the 85-seat house to be present at the vote.

Initial count of the vote shows the party having secured at least 60 seats in the 87-seat house, while total seats acquired by all other parties, and non-partisan candidates that contested remains below 10.