Parliament backs Habeeb for appointment to HRCM

Ismail Habeeb, the former vice chairman of Elections Commission (EC), has secured the backing of the Parliament for appointment as a member of the Human Rights Commission of Maldives (HRCM).

He secured parliamentary approval with a majority vote of 74-3 on Wednesday afternoon.

President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu nominated Habeeb for membership at HRCM on July 15. The nomination was vetted by the Parliament’s Human Rights and Gender Committee, which interviewed him on Sunday.

According to the committee’s chair, Nilandhoo MP Fathimath Saudha, the committee members assigned Habeeb an average of 75 percent points. The committee deemed him capable for the post, and voted to approve the nomination on Tuesday.

Habeeb will fill the vacancy at the HRCM after Dr. Ahmed Adhuham Abdulla resigned from the commission in October last year.

Habeeb had left the EC after 21 years of service on March 13, as the law prevents commissioners from serving more than two terms.

Meanwhile, the commission’s chairman Fuad Thaufeeq is also serving his second term at the commission. His term expires in November.