Majlis first sitting, Presidential Address event invitations recalled due to Covid-19
President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih is set to deliver his third Presidential Address at the first sitting of the People's Majlis this year on 4 Febraury
Article 84 of the Maldivian Constitution requires the President to deliver the Presidential Address detailing the state of the nation at the first formal sitting of parliament every year
Spousal invitations afforded to Members of Parliament for 4 February's special event to mark this year's first official sitting for the People's Majlis, where President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih will deliver his third Presidential address, have been recalled.
The spousal invitations afforded to Members of Parliament for the first sitting of the People's Majlis for the year, where President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih will deliver his third Presidential Address, were recalled by the People's Majlis secretariat in light of the worsening situation of Covid-19 in the country as described by the Health Protection Agency (HPA). The Presidential Address for this year will be delivered in front of Parliament on 4 February.
The annual event to mark the first sitting of Majlis following recess is always commemorated as a special occasion, as Article 84 of the Maldivian Constitution requires the President to deliver the Presidential address at the gathering. Every year, spouses of sitting members of parliament are invited, along with state and foreign dignitaries and other chosen guests, to take part in the gathering.
In his last Presidential Address on 3 February 2020, President Solih had pledged his administration's full commitment to unite all government institutions under the mission to safeguard the health of Maldiian citizens from Covid-19. At the time, the outbreak had been in its early stages and had yet to evolve into a global pandemic.
President Solih's third year in office has been marked by unprecedented national efforts to control the spread of Covid-19 in the country. In addition to this, the Solih administration has had to undertake the mammoth task of resuscitating an economy that was left largely stagnant as global travel restrictions were implemented due to the pandemic, debilitating the nation's crowning industry of tourism and leaving many Maldivians struggling to ends meet as trade and business operations halted across different sectors.
