SLPP MP Gevao Defends Parliament’s Authority Over Constitutional Amendment After APC Walkout

SLPP MP Hon. Hindolo Moiwo Gevao has rejected suggestions that Parliament lost the authority to continue its business after APC MPs walked out over disagreement with the Speaker’s ruling on the Constitutional Amendment Bill.

Gevao said the Constitution provides for a parliamentary quorum and argued that once the required number of MPs is present, Parliament can continue conducting its business.

He said Parliament had 149 Members and maintained that the House retained the necessary quorum after the APC walkout.

According to Gevao, the subsequent proceedings therefore remained within Parliament’s mandate.

He further argued that the remaining 97 Members represented two-thirds of the 146 Members he said were officially present and eligible for the calculation after three APC MPs were absent.

Gevao’s interpretation has become one of the central points of contention in the constitutional amendment debate, with opposing political actors disputing both the applicable threshold and the method for calculating it.