The People’s Majlis is set to reconvene for its first session of the year on 5 February, according to an announcement by the Parliament Secretariat.
The opening sitting, scheduled to begin at 9:00 a.m., will feature the annual Presidential Address delivered by President Dr Mohamed Muizzu. This will be the President’s third address to the legislature since assuming office.
The Presidential Address is a constitutional requirement, obligating the head of state to inform Parliament of the current state of the nation and to outline policy measures considered necessary for national improvement at the first session of each annual term.
In accordance with parliamentary procedure, a formal response to the Presidential Address must be prepared following its delivery. Under the rules, this responsibility rests with the majority or minority leader of the political party holding the second-largest number of seats in Parliament, provided it is not the President’s own party. The rules further stipulate that the views of all Members of Parliament must be taken into account when drafting the response. The reply is required to be presented to the legislature within 14 days of the Presidential Address.
The sitting on 5 February will mark the first regular parliamentary sitting of the year, following two extraordinary sittings convened since January.