Sunday
22nd Dec 2024
Dhivehi Edition
President Nasheed. Photo: Parliament
Mohamed Nasheed, the Speaker of the Parliament, has withdrawn himself from overseeing parliamentary sessions pending the conclusion of the no-confidence motion that the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) initiated against him.
In a formal letter delivered to the Parliament's Secretary General on Sunday, Nasheed stated his recusal.
Despite stepping back from chairing sessions, Nasheed assured that he would persist in performing other duties permitted under parliamentary rules and regulations. He underscored his commitment to ensuring his actions do not obstruct the smooth operation of parliamentary functions during the ongoing proceedings of the no-confidence motion.
The MDP, in a decisive move with the backing of 54 MPs, submitted the no-confidence motion against Nasheed last week. Parallelly, a similar motion was introduced against Deputy Speaker Eva Abdulla by the primary governing party.
The period given to Evain the motion against her expires on Monday. However, the Parliament, on its part, has refrained from assigning a date for the motion, citing the absence of requisite changes in committees following the withdrawal of over a dozen MDP MPs, including Eva herself. The Parliament expressed that the General Purposes Committee is yet to finalize a schedule for the motion's debate.
The parliamentary bylaws mandate that no other activities can be undertaken until a resolution is reached concerning the no-confidence motions filed against the Speaker or Deputy Speaker.
Nonetheless, these motions cannot proceed until modifications are made within parliamentary committees, leading to a state of impasse within the Parliament.
The majority leader of the Parliament, North Hithadhoo MP Mohamed Aslam, has charged Nasheed with intentionally delaying the motions.
As per Article 82 of the Constitution, if both the Speaker and Deputy Speaker are indisposed, the Speaker is obligated to delegate an MP to chair the sessions.