The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) has revealed that it plans to submit 23 bills to the Parliament of the Maldives for the next session.
AGO has published a list of bills the government intends to submit to the Parliament, in accordance with the parliamentary regulations. The regulations state the government is required to send a list of bills it plans to submit to the Parliament before the start of a new session.
The list consists of seven new bills and 16 amendment bills, which includes the bill to reform the composition of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC). Reviewing the composition of the JSC and amending the constitution is one of the key pledges made by the government to reform the judiciary of the Maldives. The AGO has held discussions on the composition of the JSC, and many have recommended that the commission be reformed to eliminate political influence.
Other amendment bills to be submitted to the Parliament include amendments to the constitution, penal code, criminal procedure, Drugs Act, Right to Information Act, and Presidential Elections Act. The new bills consist of the Hajj and Umrah Bill, Older Persons Bill, Foreign Investors Bill, Maldives Media and Broadcasting Bill, and a bill concerning the compensation for defamation.