Amendment proposed to enable Maumoon to compete in elections of 2008

24 November 2007
Report: Soodh

MP for Haa Alifu Atoll Ahmed Sameer has said that amendments proposed by Members of the Dhivehi Rahyithunge Party, DRP, of the Special Majlis on the Bill on the President, was carefully worded to enable President Gayoom to compete for the presidency in 2008 under the new constitution.

Given an interview to Miadhu Ahmed Sameer said that those Members, who so far had remained silent, suddenly woke up and proposed amazingly similar amendments in their own names to the article concerning the term of office of the President. Amendments proposed by DRP Members of the Special Majlis to clause (a) of the article of the term of office, says that any one elected to be the President under the new constitution shall hold office for a term of five years and shall not serve for more than two terms in office whether consecutive or otherwise.

However the draft of the same clause states that the President shall hold office for a term of five years and shall not serve for more than two terms in office, whether consecutive or otherwise.

Sameer said that if the article is passed as per the amendments proposed by the Special Majlis Members of DRP, then President Gayoom can compete in the elections in 2008.

In the Special Majlis as opposed to People’s Majlis, DRP Members rarely gets a clear majority. In many instances amendments proposed by DRP Members are passed with the support of the opposition Members. If the opposition support is not forthcoming such amendments have failed. However it should be noted that in some instances amendments proposed by the opposition MDP, Maldivian Democratic Party, have failed when the support of the Members of DRP was not forthcoming.

Members who proposed to reword the article to enable President Gayoom to stand for elections in 2008 include MP for Baa Atoll as well as Atolls Minister Ahmed Thasmeen Ali, MP for Haa Dhalu Atoll as well as Minister of State Abdul Shukoor, Presidents Member Mohamed Saleem and the recently appointed Attorney General Azima Shukoor. In addition President’s Member Mohamed Anil, Minister of Environment, Energy and Water Ahmed Abdulla and Minister of Legal Reform, Information and Arts are included among those who wanted the article re worded. While 15 amendments were proposed to this article, many of them are very similar.

Husnu Al Suood whose amendments are usually well received by the Malis, proposed amendment stating that a person who has completed two terms in office as President shall not stand elections for a third term.

Sameer said that at the unofficial meeting held for the consolidation of amendments, members finished consolidation on the Bill concerning managment according to the principle of decentralization, Bill on the Cabinet and the Bill on Security. He further said today’s unofficial meetings will consolidate amendments on the Bill on President and the Bill on Independent Commissions.