The Parliamentary Committee on Independent Institutions has rejected the nominations for the post of information commissioner.
President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih submitted three nominations to the Parliament. The nominations were Shiyam Mohamed Waheed, Ahmed Ahid Rasheed and Mariyam Aleem.
The parliamentary committee began reviewing the nominations for the vacant position of information commissioner on April 26, and has completed the interview process of the nominated individuals. None of the nominees received enough votes from the committee members to receive approval.
Parliamentary regulations dictate that nominations for an independent institution should receive the approval of at least two-thirds of the 12-member committee. However, each of the nominees received only seven votes.
The Information Commissioner's Office was established on July 13, 2014, as per Article 43(a) of the Right to Information (RTI) Act. The information commissioner is mandated with the enforcement of the RTI Act, which defines the right to access and obtain information from any state institution and encourages the widest circulation of information available at state institutions.
Application for the post of the information commissioner was opened following the resignation of Hussain Fiyaz Moosa from the position on March 21, 2021.