The Parliament, on Tuesday, approved removing the need for a constituency-based referendum to determine if a lawmaker should lose their seat upon changing political parties, maintaining a system in which seats are automatically vacated in such cases.
A government-backed amendment was submitted to the Parliament by ruling PNC deputy parliamentary group leader and Baarah MP Ibrahim Shujau on November 16th – seeking to expand the conditions under which lawmakers will lose their seats.
In this regard, under the proposed amendment, if a lawmaker leaves the party under which they were elected, a constituency-based referendum decides whether they lose their seats. While the amendment was backed by some ruling party lawmakers, others were against it.
On Monday, Parliament’s Whole House Committee decided to approve the amendment after removing the requirement of a constituency-based referendum to remove a lawmaker who switches party.
Following this, the Parliament passed the amendment without any further changes during Tuesday’s parliamentary sitting in a 75-12 majority vote.
Notably, the incumbent parliamentary assembly amended the constitution last year, adding three more circumstances where lawmakers will lose their seats. They are: if they switch parties during their term, are expelled from their party, or if an independent member joins a political party.
The controversial amendment to the constitution, which added new circumstances where lawmakers will lose their seats, was passed in quick succession by the PNC-dominated Parliament on November 20th. President Muizzu ratified the amendment on the same day.
While a petition has been filed with the Supreme Court to revoke the amendments, the case remains stalled in the top court.