Nasheed Defends LGA Block of No-Confidence Vote Against Mayor Shifa

The Speaker of the Majlis, Mohamed Nasheed, has defended the Local Government Authority's (LGA) decision to block the no-confidence vote that had been scheduled to be taken regarding the Mayor of the Male City Council, Shifa Mohamed.

Nasheed also happens to be the leader of the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), of which Mayor Shifa is also a member. The MDP also have a majority within the City Council.

During a press conference held today, Nasheed said that the constitutionally mandated terms for the Council posts have passed. He also added that the Counci terms have expired, and their work has come to an end. He specified that the Councils had now entered an interim period that came under a special law. He argued that therefore none had any legal right to take a no-confidence vote regarding the Councils during the interim period.

He said that the Councils no longer had any legal mandate, and that the law to extend the Council terms was not intended to bring about "such a circus".