Parliament has officially informed MPs that the no-confidence motion against Speaker Mohamed Nasheed will be tabled for the upcoming Sunday. This comes against a complex backdrop, including prior motions and a parliamentary deadlock.
The ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) had initially moved to remove Nasheed from the speaker’s post in June of this year. The first no-confidence motion was subsequently withdrawn after the initial round of the presidential elections on 9 September. However, following the MDP’s setback in the second round of elections on September 30, the party’s parliamentary group unanimously approved a second motion against Nasheed. This motion, signed by 49 MDP MPs, was officially submitted on October 9.”
In accordance with Article 205 of the rules of procedure for impeachment, a motion of no confidence may be moved by a resolution signed in writing by one-fourth of the total number of members of parliament or not less than 22 members. Once received, the parliament must provide notice within three days, excluding public holidays, and after a 14-day period, the motion must be placed on the agenda.
After meeting these procedural requirements, the parliament served the required 14-day notice on 12 October. With the notice period set to expire on Thursday, the parliamentary secretariat confirmed to local media that MPs have been notified about the tabling of the motion for next Sunday.
The general committee of the parliament has also decided that a total of two hours will be allocated for debate on the no-confidence motion. Nasheed will be given three slots of 10 minutes each to respond. The remaining one and a half hours will be divided according to the proportion of political parties and independent members present.
MDP’s Parliamentary Group (PG) leader, Mohamed Aslam, expressed confidence in the procedure, refuting Nasheed’s assertion that only one no-confidence motion could be accepted per session. “It is the Secretary-General who will make a decision on the motion,” Aslam clarified.
In the previous session, no-confidence motions against both Nasheed and Deputy Speaker Eva Abdulla were submitted simultaneously, causing the parliament to reach a deadlock and break for recess without completing several pending legislative matters. Aslam noted that the motions were withdrawn because they were being leveraged to halt parliamentary proceedings, particularly with important issues pending.
Currently, the MDP has 56 MPs in parliament, and for a no-confidence motion against the Speaker to pass, it requires the votes of 43 MPs.