Amendments to Constitution to be finalized by June

Amendments to the Constitution are expected to be finalized by June 2008, MDP parliamentary group leader Mr. Hassan Afeef said this week. Meeting officials of the Adhaalath Party last week Mr. Afeef noted he expects the finalized version of the amended Constitution to be forwarded to the President’s Office “by the end of the month”. 

Speaking at a DRP general meeting held on 09 May 2008, President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom promised a “short ratification process”, indicating that it was up to him to shorten the stipulated 90 day period to ratify the amended Constitution.

The Peoples Special Majlis (Constitutional Assembly) is expected to meet after the Drafting Committee has made a decision on inconsistent and contradictory issues or words in the amended Constitution.  A five-member sub-committee of the drafting committee has scrutinized all the chapters except those on Transition and Interpretation, the Information Ministry stated on 16 May 2008.