Lack of quorum: Parliament session postponed

Manama : The regular weekly session of the House of Representatives was postponed yesterday due to lack of quorum, DT News has learnt.

The meeting has been reportedly rescheduled for tomorrow with the same work agenda for yesterday’s cancelled session.

This comes as the majority of MPs, including the Speaker of the House Ahmed bin Ibrahim Al Mulla, weren’t able to attend the meeting for several reasons, mainly for being busy with official assignments abroad.

Al Mulla and three fellow MPs are currently participating in the 11th GCC Parliament Speakers Meetings held in the Kuwaiti Capital.

The impact of the quorum on the course of the regular weekly meetings of the House has been a repeated scene lately. Several sessions ended early because of lack of quorum in the past few months, but, this is the first time the entire session is postponed for the same reason.

According to the bylaws of the council, at least 21 members of the 40-member house should be present for a session to continue.

MPs will discuss several matters on Thursday that include the answers of Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments Minister to queries regarding the latest statistics on criminal, civil and Sharia cases seen by the courts, and Information Minister’s explanation on the Kingdom’s media strategy, in addition to a number of bills and proposals.

It’s worth mentioning that Shura Council members also cancelled their regular meeting this. The meeting was supposed to be held last Sunday and was postponed to the same day next week, as “it fell between two public holidays” (Saturday and New Year Holiday).