Speaker of Parliament Mohamed Nasheed has expressed concern over the delays in receiving the bills which have been planned for the ongoing parliamentary term.
Speaking at the parliament sitting held on March 2, Speaker Nasheed said the parliament received a list of bills to be sent by the government before the start of the ongoing parliamentary term. However, he said none of the listed bills have been submitted by the government yet. As a result, he said the parliament has not been able to carry out its work as planned.
Nasheed said there are several important bills which need to be passed in the ongoing term, in line with the parliamentary manifesto of the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP). As such, he highlighted the planned bills on minimum wage and income support.
Meanwhile, Attorney General Ibrahim Riffath has stated most of the planned bills have been drafted and submitted to the President’s Office. The AG said the final draft of the bills will be submitted by to the Parliament by the President’s Office, through the Parliamentary Group of MDP.
The government has planned to submit 31 bills to the Parliament during the ongoing term. This includes 15 bills to create new laws, and 16 bills to amend existing laws.