The bill proposed to amend Anti-Defection Bill, which aimed to revise the constitution to outline circumstances in which parliamentarians lose their seats, has been withdrawn from the parliament. This bill, presented by parliamentarian Hassan Latheef, sought to introduce additional sections to the existing Anti-Defection law.
While the current Anti-Defection law requires elected members to resign if they switch parties or if an independent member joins a party, Latheef's proposed bill aimed to expand these provisions. It outlined that a member would lose their seat even without resigning if they changed parties or if an independent member joined a political party. It further delineated that if a member voted against their party's decision and was subsequently expelled, they would also lose their seat.
Furthermore, the proposed amendment suggested that a petition signed by a certain percentage of constituents could trigger a public vote to determine whether the parliamentarian should retain their seat. Thus expulsion would occur if the majority of voters supported it.
The presidency officially announced the withdrawal of Latheef's bill during today's parliamentary session. Additionally, two other bills were withdrawn, one proposing an amendment to determine the number of parliament members and another regarding the power to appoint members to the Elections Commission of Maldives (ECM).