The Media Regulation Bill, put forward by Thulhaadhoo MP Abdul Hannan, has been approved by the Parliament and sent to the Independent Institutions Committee for additional examination today.

The legislation was approved in a special session conducted today, with 62 members in attendance.

A total of 49 legislators from the governing People’s National Congress (PNC) supported the measure, while 12 opposed it.

The choice follows journalists staging protests outside the parliament, calling for the bill's withdrawal.

The Maldives Journalists Association (MJA) and the Maldives Media Council (MMC) have called on MPs to dismiss the proposal, cautioning that it endangers press freedom.

In the debate, MPs from the ruling party supported the bill, contending that current regulatory bodies like the Maldives Media Council and the Maldives Broadcasting Commission share overlapping duties but have failed to effectively handle defamation cases.

They argued that fresh laws are needed to make the media responsible.

Members of the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) vehemently opposed the bill, labeling it a major regression for press freedom and demanding its prompt retraction.

The law has also faced backlash from global press freedom groups.

Journalists in the Maldives have initiated a petition opposing the bill, cautioning it could weaken constitutional safeguards for media autonomy.

After the vote, Speaker Abdul Raheem Abdulla declared that all agenda items had been addressed and that there would be no additional extraordinary sessions.