The opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has stated that the party is considering halting the year-on-year increase in number of parliament members.

At a news conference held today at the People's Majlis, MDP Parliamentary Group spokesperson and Kendhoo constituency MP Mauroof Zakir said that while the party's parliamentary group hasn't made a final decision, there is a sentiment among them to address the issue of the increasing number of elected parliament members each year.

He said the increase in members needs to be stopped. He suggested that the law could be amended to put some kind of cap on the number of members.

Article 71 of the Constitution states that each administrative division should have two members for the first 5,000 registered population or for divisions with less than 5,000 people. For administrative divisions with over 5,000 registered population, there should be an additional member for every 5,000 people beyond the initial 5,000.

Due to this provision, the number of members increases with each new parliamentary term. While the previous 19th People's Majlis had 87 members, the current 20th People's Majlis has elected 93 members.

At a press briefing last week about bills the government plans to present to parliament during President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu's five-year term, Attorney General Ahmed Usham also stated that reducing the number of parliament members is one of President Dr. Muizzu's campaign pledges.

However, Usham said the decision would be made after considering what's most beneficial for the entire country and through consultation and gathering opinions from many people.

In the previous 19th People's Majlis, some members also proposed amending the constitution to prevent an increase in members. However, that initiative did not progress as desired.