President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu on Tuesday, has ratified Act No: 3/2024, or the Anti-Defection Bill.

The act grants legal enforcement for lawmakers to lose their parliament seats upon floor crossing.

The bill for the act was proposed by Baarah constituency MP Ahmed Abdulla, who represents parliament’s majority, MDP. The bill was approved at the parliament earlier on April 01st, 2024.

President’s Office on Tuesday confirmed Dr. Muizzu has now officially ratified the act into active implementation.

The new law governs parliament MPs, atoll and island councilers, members of Women’s Development Committees as well; all of whom would be required to resign from their political positions should they switch their political parties.

According to MDP, the bill was proposed to ensure the lawmakers and other political designates remain affiliated to the political ideologies due to which they were elected by the constituents.

As per the newly ratified law, political designates including parliament MPs and councilers should resign under two distinct circumstances, which are;

• Voluntary resignation from the political party through which the member was elected for the political designation
• Registering on a different party [switching parties]

Besides this, the law also specifies two situations where a recall vote is mandatory, which include;

• Dismissal or removal from the party from which the member was elected for the designation
• Independent members signing for political parties

Under the Anti-Defection Bill, councilors and members of WDCs would lose their seats, if they;

• Resign from the parties through which they were elected
• Switching political parties, and if
• Independent members sign for political parties

According to the law, if a member wins the recall vote, they can switch their parties, but would lose their position if they do not receive adequate recall votes.

For the seats vacated owing to defection or floor crossing, the Elections Commission (EC) is mandated with holding by-elections to elect new members as per the law, and the members who lose their seats have the right to contend as well.

During the 18th parliamentary assembly, an Anti-Defection Act was passed as well, but during the 2018 political turmoil, the same assembly annulled the law.

After the most recent presidential election, 14 members previously aligned with MDP exited the party following which the parliament majority party stressed the importance of an anti-defection law.

Source(s): sun.mv

The Minister of Tourism Ibrahim Faisal has said the current international financial structure does not adequately meet the financing needs of Small Island Developing States, or SIDS.

The minister made this remarks while speaking at the high-level thematic debate on debt sustainability and socio-economic equality for all at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA)’s Sustainability Week on Monday.

“SIDS are recognized as a special case for sustainable development, the extreme vulnerability of SIDS to climate change and external shocks raise the cost of infrastructure investments,” the minister said at the meeting.

He added that due to the lack of adequate financial structure, the Maldives faces high costs when borrowing funds from foreign sources.

“This increased cost significantly challenge our ability to service debt, it limits our capacity to invest in infrastructure and other critical developmental needs,” Minister Faisal added.

According to the minister, the high borrowing of the Maldives further impacts the long-term economic stability as well. While highlighting that developing nations require external financial support, the minister stressed that foreign fund sources should be both affordable and sustainable.

“High levels of debt are not unique to any one group of countries, however, in the face of external shocks, SIDS face a disproportionate burden on servicing debt, and maintaining debt sustainability.”

While speaking at the meeting, the Minister of Tourism highlighted the significant revenue improvement of the Maldives, which he attributed to the “highly successful tourism industry”. He further claimed that the Maldives is now a middle-income country.

“To achieve an equitable economic and social progress, we need investments in infrastructure at a massive scale. To achieve this in a sustainable manner, we need access to affordable finance, but as a middle-income country the Maldives has limited access to concessional finance,” Faisal pointed out the limits for the island nation in securing foreign financial instruments for infrastructural development.

The minister said that due to the lack of concessional financial solutions available for the Maldives, the country is left with no choice but to rely on more expensive sources of financing that in turn drive up the country’s national debt.

“This severely challenges our ability to efficiently service debt and hampers our developmental progress.”

He also highlighted the high cost associated with debt servicing as well, and said that high debt service payments restricted the government’s ability to allocate funds to essential public infrastructure and services.

Moreover, he pointed out that this diversion of resources intensified the socio-economic inequality of the Maldives.

He called out for the urgent need for reform in international financial structure to enhance affordable borrowings by SIDS.

The minister also claimed that the issue in terms of repayment is not attached to the high level of debt, but rather the lack of access to financing resources and in particular at concessional rates.

Small Island Developing States including the Maldives face various external factors that either challenge or intervene in their developmental needs, and often times, environmental other forms of crises often dampen the ability of these countries to service debt on highly expensive sources of borrowings.

The Minister of Tourism is accompanied by a high-level Maldives delegate including the staff of the Maldives Mission to the UN at the UNGA Sustainability Week.

Source(s): sun.mv

The Elections Commission of the Maldives (ECM) has warned of potential legal consequences for individuals engaging in anti-campaigning activities.

In a recent statement, the ECM noted instances of such activities during the parliamentary election. It included the dissemination of posters and banners containing messages that infringe upon the electoral rights of candidates.

Additionally, ECM has emphasised the adherence to the Elections General Act and the law. The commission urged candidates to refrain from such actions. It warned of legal repercussions for individuals found to be violating these regulations.

Citing Article 29 of the Elections General Act, the ECM underscored the prohibition against campaigning efforts that encroach upon the electoral rights of other candidates. Furthermore, it prohibits the spread of false information about any candidate.

Source(s): PsmNews