Monday, April 21, 2008

Next presidential election scheduled for 10 Oct. 2008

Special Majlis yesterday endorsed to hold the next presidential elections on the 10 of October 2008.

As part of the ongoing voting on transitional chapter at the Special Majlis, a proposal submitted by MP for Mulaku Atoll Aneesa Ahmed and supported by President’s Member Mohamed Anil on presidential election was endorsed yesterday. The proposal stated that next presidential elections should be held before 10 October 2008.

Clause (a) of this proposal on presidential election stated that the first presidential elections to be held under this constitution should be held before 10 October 2008 and Clause (b) of this article says that the president elected under clause (a) shall assume office before 11 November 2008. The proposal was endorsed with 80 votes in favor. Although no member voted against 7 members voted neutral.

Majlis yesterday also passed to hold the first parliamentary elections under the constitution before 31 March 2009. Clause (a) of proposal on parliamentary elections submitted by Aneesa Ahmed says that first parliamentary elections held under this constitution should be held prior to 31 March 2009. Clause (b) of this proposal says that the Parliament elected as per clause (a) of this proposal must hold its first session prior to 1of May 2009. The proposal was passed with 78 votes in favor. One member voted against while 8 members voted neutral.

The controversial proposal of MP Aneesa Ahmed, proposal number 32 which caused a lot of arguments and disruptions yesterday was also passed. Clause (a) of the proposal number 32 proposed by Aneesa and supported by Mohamed anil states that until such time as the first presidential elections be held under this constitution and a president elected and until he assumes office, the president in office at the time of this constitution came in force, shall remain office.

Clause (b) of proposal 32 states that “until such time as presidential elections are held and President is elected and assumes office under this constitution, the cabinet to be appointed shall be the cabinet in force when this constitution came in to force. In this regard during the transitional stage clause (d) of article 4 of chapter on People’s Majlis of this constitution and clause (c) of article one of the chapters on the Cabinet of this constitution will not be acted up on. The president has the authority to make bring ay changes to the cabinet”.

Clause (c) of the proposal states that cabinet appointed after the first presidential elections held under this constitution shall not include Members of the Majlis.

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