Parliament Allocates One Hour for Minister Saeed to Respond to No-Confidence Motion

The Parliament’s General Purpose Committee has approved one hour for Economic Minister Mohamed Saeed to respond to a no-confidence motion submitted against him by the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) Parliamentary Group.

The committee, which oversees parliamentary procedures, made the decision at its meeting today following a proposal by Feydhoo MP Ibrahim Didi to allocate one hour for Saeed’s response and another hour for members to debate the motion.

advertisement

Committee members present unanimously approved the proposal.

Parliamentary procedure generally allocates debate time for bills and motions among political parties based on the number of MPs they have, while independent MPs receive a separate allocation.

The MDP Parliamentary Group submitted the no-confidence motion on August 1 with the signatures of 13 MPs. The motion alleges that Saeed has neglected responsibilities assigned to him under the Constitution, failed to remain accountable to Parliament and engaged in conduct prohibited for ministers.

The motion calls for Parliament to declare that Saeed has lost its confidence and remove him from office.

Issues raised by MDP

The opposition cited several issues in its motion, including:

• US dollar shortage: Alleged failure to address the shortage of US dollars, with the parallel market rate exceeding MVR 21.
• Exchange rate: Failure to meet a previously stated target of bringing the exchange rate below MVR 15.42.
• Cargo and port operations: Alleged delays in cargo clearance and commercial port operations contributing to higher prices.
• State funds and property: Alleged improper management of state funds and property, including spending on investment forums and state events locally and overseas.
• Development Bank of Maldives: MVR 6.56 million reportedly spent on the bank by March 2025 despite it not having commenced operations.
• Parliamentary accountability: Alleged failure to adequately answer questions from MPs, including regarding the previously announced USD 400 million expected from bunkering services.
• SEZ amendments: Concerns over amendments to the Special Economic Zone Act, particularly provisions concerning townships and the proposed Maldives Residence-by-Investment programme.
• Sovereignty and financial risks: Alleged risks to national sovereignty and increased exposure to money laundering and tax evasion.
• Stalled projects: The motion cites several projects that MDP claims have stalled, including the Maldives Economic Gateway in Ihavandhippolhu, the proposed Economic and Financial District in Funadhoo, a proposed monorail system, relocation of oil storage facilities, the Development Bank of Maldives and the Maldives International Financial Centre.