Parliament rejects amendment to limit MPs

The Parliament, on Monday, rejected a constitutional amendment submitted by Hulhudhoo MP Ilyas Labeeb to cap the number of MPs at the legislative body at 76.

The amendment was called to vote on Monday.

However, it failed to pass, with a majority vote of 38-12 against it.

The Democrats, the party to which Ilyas belongs to, had wanted the number of Parliament seats capped at 76, with 55 seats allotted for electoral districts, 11 national list seats, and an additional eight for women and two for people with disabilities.

The constitution currently stipulates that there must be a parliamentary representative for every 5,000 citizens. This means that the number of seats at the next parliamentary assembly will increase 89 seats to 93.

The lack of limit on the number of MPs given the high spending on salaries and allowances is an issue of concern to many.