Chairman absent, MPs quarrel over who takes the seat

During their weekly meeting, few parliamentarians yesterday demanded the council’s chairman to remain glued to his seat, considering the council’s norms.

In the absence of Parliament Speaker Ahmed bin Ibrahim Al Mulla, the session was chaired by the council’s First Vice Speaker Ali Al Aradi.

While MPs were discussing the dispute resolution of civil and foreign trade issues, an argument broke out as Al Aradi had to step down to give a presentation on the matter and asked the Second Vice Chairman Abdulhaleem Murad to be seated in the chairman’s seat instead, an act that few MPs considered as a violation to the council’s norms.

MPs Adel Al Assoomy and Majeed Milad argued with fellow lawmakers, as they both insisted that the council’s norms, which stipulate that the chairman of the session should remain seated during each discussion, should be followed. The MPs were adamant about their remark, despite the council’s legal consultant’s approval.

This came after Al Aradi stepped down twice from the chairman’s seat to give his presentations. Finally, he said that the MP’s concern about following the rules and regulations are appreciated.