The People's Majlis today passed an amendment to the law, increasing the allowance for individuals who have served as Vice President to MVR 30,000.

This bill was submitted to the People's Majlis last Thursday by Hulhudhoo constituency's PNC member Mohamed Shahid, on behalf of the government.

The bill also includes a change to the name of the current law, "Law on Protection and Allowances for Persons who have Served as President of the Republic," to "Law on Determining Protection and Allowances for Persons who have Served as President of the Republic and Persons who have Served as Vice President of the Republic, and Stipulating the Procedures for Providing Such Protection and Allowances."

This is because, until now, the law only stipulated allowances for individuals who have served as President.

However, this amendment includes that allowances should also be provided to individuals who have served as Vice President of the Republic.

Accordingly, the bill includes adding an article to the law concerning the provision of allowances to former Vice Presidents.

In that article, the government proposed that a person who has served as Vice President should receive a monthly financial allowance of MVR 25,000.

However, the Finance Committee studied the bill and passed it after increasing that amount to MVR 30,000.

Furthermore, the bill states that arrangements must be made to provide health services, both within and outside the Maldives, at the state's expense, to individuals who have served as Vice President.

However, it also states that if a person who has served as Vice President assumes any elected or appointed state position after vacating the Vice Presidency, the provision of the financial allowance will be suspended for the duration of their tenure in that new position.

The bill defines a person who has served as Vice President of the Republic as someone who has completed a full five-year term of the presidency as Vice President, as per the Constitution.

Therefore, the only Vice President to have completed a five-year presidential term so far is Faisal Naseem, who served as Vice President during the administration of former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.

Hence, only Faisal Naseem will be eligible for the allowances stipulated in this law.

Former Vice Presidents Mohamed Waheed, Mohamed Waheeduddeen (Deen), Dr. Mohamed Jameel Ahmed, Abdulla Jihad, and Ahmed Adheeb did not complete a five-year term as Vice President.