The People’s Majlis has passed to extend the ongoing first session of this year into the recess period.

Speaker of Parliament and Former President, Mohamed Nasheed proposed to proceed with parliament (People's Majilis) sittings after cancelling the recess that comes after the first session of the ongoing year, during Wednesday’s online sitting.

The motion to extend the ongoing session until May 31 was approved by the unanimous votes of 67 parliamentarians. One member voted against.

The first session of the People’s Majlis is from February – April and after it comes to an end, the parliament goes into recess for a one-month period.

During Wednesday’s online sitting, Speaker Nasheed revealed that he believes it is important for sittings to proceed without parliamentarians taking the holiday, during a time the country is facing a pandemic.

As such, the motion seeks to extend the first session of the year till May 31. With this being said, the second session of parliament is set to commence throughout July, without a recess period.

During these challenging times, it is important to proceed with Majlis sittings in order to make it easier for the government as well as hold state institutions responsible, said Nasheed.

This will also prove to be beneficial for the people, he added, stating that even during these challenging times, Majlis sitting are proceeding without any interruptions, through video conferencing.