Parliament Passes New Standing Orders for Current Legislative Assembly

The Parliament passed new standing orders for the 20th legislative assembly, introducing a break for Dhuhr prayer.

Drafted by the General Purpose Committee, the new standing orders were brought to a vote on this afternoon.

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Among the key changes, the regulation on parliamentary services declared in Article 15(d) will remain in effect even if the parliamentary assembly’s term expires. Additionally, the Parliament will now be legally represented by the Attorney General instead of the Counsel General.

The updated standing orders also remove provisions that contradicted the anti-defection law. The General Purpose Committee decided to change the break time from 12:30 pm to 1:00 pm to 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm to avoid clashing with Dhuhr prayer.

Article 18 outlines penalties for violations of the code of conduct for parliamentarians, including suspension from committee meetings, except those concerning critical matters such as the President’s impeachment.

The motion was seconded by Inguraidhoo MP Ibrahim Falah, the leader of the ruling People’s National Congress (PNC)’s parliamentary group and passed with a unanimous vote of 63. The new standing orders were approved with a unanimous vote of 64.