Parliament Session Cancelled Due to Eva’s Leave

The planned parliamentary session scheduled for today to continue the motion to impeach Speaker Mohamed Nasheed was cancelled due to Deputy Speaker Eva Abdhullah’s sudden illness. 

The cancellation was announced by Parliament Secretary General Fathmath Niusha.

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Niusha elaborated that Eva’s absence was due to health reasons, substantiated by a provided medical certificate and blood reports. 

In her absence, Eva requested the majority leader of the parliament, Hithadhoo North MP Mohamed Aslam, and the minority leader, Central Henveiru MP Ali Azim, to share the items related to her responsibilities.

In accordance with parliamentary protocol, the Deputy Speaker is required to preside over the no-confidence motion. However, the rules of procedure do not offer provisions for the Deputy Speaker’s absence.

The procedural guidelines stipulate that the motion to impeach the Speaker must occur on the first official day after 14 days from the motion’s filing. Consequently, the rescheduled hearing is now slated for tomorrow’s session.

The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) Parliamentary Group has formally requested the Deputy Speaker to convene the session following the Rules of Procedure. The article specifies that in the absence of both the Speaker and Deputy Speaker, a member appointed by the Speaker is to preside. 

This appointee should be the longest consecutively serving member of the House, which, in this case, is Vilufushi MP Hassan Afeef.