The process to appoint a Chairman for the new Maldives Media and Broadcasting Commission has been initiated after the Parliament on Wednesday referred the matter to its Independent Institutions Committee.
Under the stipulations of the recently enacted Maldives Media and Broadcasting Regulation Act, the Parliament is tasked with appointing the Commission's Chairman from among the regulatory body’s seven members.
While the Parliament selects the Chairman, the Act mandates that the Deputy Chairman of the Commission shall be appointed subsequently through an internal vote among the members themselves.
The newly constituted commission is comprised of seven members, with three appointed by the Parliament and a further four members elected by various segments of the media and broadcasting industry.
The current structure includes three parliamentary appointees - Mohamed Farshath, Safa Shafeeg, and Aminath Sarahath Izzath. The elected members representing broadcasters and other media outlets include Simaha Naseem, Hussain Sageef, Abdul Azeez Ibrahim and Zam’ath Ahmed Waheed.
With the new commission now constituted, the focus is now on the Parliament to finalise the leadership structure essential for it to carry out its regulatory duties governing the nation’s media landscape.