The Supreme Court on Wednesday wrapped up its hearing on a petition challenging the Parliament’s recent amendment to its standing orders, which effectively made it easier for the legislative body to impeach the President and Vice-President. The case, filed by the Attorney General’s Office, centres around the alteration of the parliamentary rules following the resignation of seven lawmakers who left to join President Dr Mohamed Muizzu’s administration.
The core of the controversy involves the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), which commands a majority in Parliament, amending the standing orders to exclude vacant seats from the total count of MPs. This move effectively reduced the number of parliamentarians from 87 to 80, a change challenged by the state, prompting Supreme Court intervention.
During the proceedings, which lasted about two hours, the state, represented by the Counsel General of the Attorney General’s Office, Fathimath Haleem, argued that the amendments contravened the Constitution, specifically Article 71 which sets the total number of parliamentarians, currently at 87.
The Supreme Court’s bench, led by Justice Azmiralda Zahir and comprising Justices Aisha Shujoon, Husnu al Suood, Mahaz Ali Zahir, and Mohamed Ibrahim, sought clarifications on whether actions taken by the parliament since the issuance of the court’s injunction were in violation. The state assured the court that it would investigate and submit relevant documents for review.
Justice Azmiralda indicated that the court may consider an additional hearing if necessary, after reviewing the submitted documents. However, she suggested that the next session could likely conclude the case.
