The Parliament session scheduled for Budget Submission has been halted twice due to a lack of quorum in the chamber.
Deputy Speaker of the Parliament Eva Abdullah said that she would wait to see if there is a quorum for the session and temporarily halted the session.
She said that she would keep ringing the quorum bell to see if the MPs outside the chambers respond.
The Deputy Speaker of the Parliament said that passing the State Budget was one of the responsibilities of the parliament assigned by the Constitution, Public Finances Act, and the Parliament Standing Order.
She said that if the Parliament is unable to pass the budget before its term, it would hinder the work of the incoming government and hamper developmental projects.
Eva also mentioned that the State Budget was related to private businesses of citizens.
The Deputy Speaker shed light on the ruling of the Supreme Court after MDP submitted a constitutional case to the Top Court. She said that the Court ruling was clear that parliamentary work deemed essential must not be hindered just because of a no-confidence vote against the Speaker of the Parliament.
She further said that the session was delayed not because Finance Minister Ibrahim Ameer did not attend the session but because MDP MPs chose not to attend the session.
The outgoing government has proposed a State Budget of MVR 49.5 billion for next year.
