Parliament abolishes controversial amendment to electoral law
16 އޮކްޓޯބަރު 2019 | ބުދަ 13:2563 lawmakers voted in favor of the amendment
People\'s Majlis
The parliament has on Wednesday passed to abolish a controversial amendment brought to the Presidential Election Act in June 2018, targeting certain political figures.
The government sponsored amendment bill was proposed by Mahchangolhi constituency MP Ahmed Haitham.
63 lawmakers voted in favor of the amendment, as sent by the committee on independent institutions.
The amendment brought months ahead of the 2018 presidential elections states that any individual who held foreign nationality or political asylum can only run for presidency 10 years after surrendering their foreign citizenship or asylum.
While then-opposition coalition had described the move as one to target certain figures- two opposition leaders that had expressed in running in the presidential elections were living in exile at the time, while another had a dual citizenship- the current administration had vowed to review those amendments made by the previous administration “for own benefit.”
Wednesday’s amendment nullifies the 2018 one.
