Journalists who met with President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu at the President’s Office on Thursday to discuss the controversial Media Regulatory Bill said they did not receive the response they most hoped for, an assurance that the bill would be withdrawn.

Members of the Maldives Journalists Association (MJA), the Maldives Media Council, and senior journalists attended the meeting, where they urged the President to scrap the bill.

However, according to participants, President Muizzu refrained from giving a direct commitment on the matter.

Senior journalist Hiriga Ahmed Zahir, who took part in the meeting, told reporters that while the President stressed his administration would not disadvantage the media, he did not clarify the government’s final stance.

He said the fate of the bill would become clearer after the Attorney General’s Office holds its meeting with journalists later today.

The meeting took place amid continued protests by journalists outside the President’s Office, which have been ongoing for two consecutive days.

The Media Regulatory Bill, submitted to parliament on 19 August 2025 by Thulhaadhoo MP Abdul Hannan Aboobakuru, was accepted by the People’s Majlis on 27 August during an extraordinary sitting.

The motion passed with 49 votes in favor and 12 against, largely backed by the ruling People’s National Congress (PNC) despite opposition protests.

Under the proposed legislation, a new Maldives Media and Broadcasting Commission would be established with sweeping powers to enforce a media code of conduct.

The bill outlines penalties ranging from fines and broadcast suspensions to the potential revocation of broadcasting licenses through court orders.

The government maintains that the bill aims to streamline media regulation by merging existing bodies, though critics argue it threatens press freedom and could undermine independent journalism in the Maldives.