The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has intensified its efforts to oust Speaker Mohamed Nasheed, issuing a three-line whip in favour of a no-confidence motion tabled for Sunday. Meanwhile, Nasheed commented on the fickle nature of political support, quoting former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill: “A week is a long time in politics.”
In a decisive meeting held on Wednesday, the MDP’s parliamentary group voted unanimously to issue a three-line whip in favour of their own motion against the Speaker. They further agreed not to carry out any other parliamentary work until a decision on the no-confidence motion has been made. The MDP has urged its supporters to witness the crucial parliamentary sitting from the gallery, setting the stage for a high-stakes showdown.
The MDP currently holds a majority in parliament with 56 MPs. A total of 43 votes are required to pass the no-confidence motion.
This marks the MDP’s second attempt to remove its former leader Nasheed from the speakership. Earlier this year, the party had submitted no-confidence motions against both Nasheed and Deputy Speaker Eva Abdulla. While the motion against Eva was endorsed by 50 MPs in May, the motion to oust Nasheed followed in June with 54 MPs’ endorsement. However, these motions were subsequently withdrawn in September as the MDP entered into negotiations with the Democrats—the party to which both Nasheed and Eva belong— in an attempt to seek their support ahead of the presidential runoff.
The current motion against Nasheed was submitted on 9 October with the endorsement of 49 MPs. It has reignited tensions across the political landscape, prompting Speaker Nasheed to express concerns about political instability.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Brain and Spine Conference 2023 at Villa Nautica resort, Nasheed reflected on the transient nature of political confidence reposed in him. “We are in transit. There is a president-elect, he may not yet be available to attend ceremonies such as this. Then there is an outgoing president, so he cannot attend such a ceremony,” he said, adding, “Last week [they] didn’t trust me. The next week they had confidence. Now they don’t trust me again.”