PNC-PG: No Changes to the Land Acquisition Bill Following Rejection by People's Majlis

The People's National Congress (PNC) Parliamentary Group has announced that there will be no further changes to the Land Acquisition Bill after it was rejected by the People's Majlis.

The 20th People's Majlis on Tuesday voted against the 19th Parliament's amendment bill to the Land Acquisition Act, 2019, which required land to be handed over within three months of publishing the list of beneficiaries. President Mohamed Muizzu had returned the amendment bill to Parliament for reconsideration, urging a review of the previous amendments.

Hanimaadhoo MP Abdul Ghafoor Moosa proposed referring the 9th Amendment Bill to the Maldives Land Acquisition Act to the National Development and Heritage Committee for further revision. However, this proposal was backed by twelve lawmakers. In the final vote, 76 of the 88 lawmakers voted against passing the bill without any changes, while only 12 supported it, leading to its rejection.

Following the vote, PNC Parliamentary Group Leader, MP Mohamed Saeed, confirmed that due to the bill's rejection, no further changes would be pursued at this time. He emphasized that the primary reason for the bill's rejection was the lack of broad consensus and highlighted that any future attempts to amend the bill would require more robust support.