News Desk
LONDON — Deputy Speaker Hon. Ahmed Nazim and a parliamentary delegation began a three-day visit to Westminster this week, meeting with Nusrat Ghani, the British deputy speaker, as part of a program on shared parliamentary practice.
The trip, organized by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association’s U.K. branch, runs from Dec. 1 to 4 and is designed to exchange insights on procedure, government oversight and the subtler arts of keeping a legislature in motion. Delegates will observe the workings of the House of Commons and sit in on Prime Minister’s Questions, a fixture of British political life — an experience that will be no surprise to the Maldivian guests, who have witnessed their own share of parliamentary dramas back home.
Ms. Ghani, a Conservative lawmaker representing Sussex Weald, serves as Deputy Speaker and Chair of Ways and Means. She is also the first Muslim woman to hold the deputy speakership, a milestone in the Commons’ long history.
For Mr. Nazim and his colleagues, the visit offers a rare glimpse into the daily rhythms of Britain’s Parliament — from the formalities of procedure to the adversarial theatre of debate — and a chance to compare notes on how legislatures across the Commonwealth manage the balance between scrutiny and governance.
Alongside Deputy Speaker MP Ahmed Nazim of Dhiggaru, the delegation includes Hithadhoo South MP Ibrahim Nazil, the Parliamentary Minority PG Leader, and South Hulhumalé MP Dr. Ahmed Shamheed.
