No-Confidence Motion Against Nasheed Rescheduled for Tomorrow

The Parliament has rescheduled the no-confidence motion against Speaker Mohamed Nasheed for tomorrow. 

The decision follows the Supreme Court’s ruling that deemed the legislative body’s previous decision to halt the motion as unlawful.

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Originally slated for October 26, the motion faced an unexpected hurdle when Deputy Speaker Eva Abdulla, also a member of Nasheed’s party, The Democrats (TD),  called in sick throughout the previous week, effectively thwarting the motion. 

Parliament’s Standing Orders, as outlined in Article 205, state that in the event of a no-confidence motion against the Speaker, the Deputy Speaker should preside over the sitting. However, it does not provide explicit instructions for a scenario where the Deputy Speaker is indisposed.

Responding to the situation, the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) lodged a constitutional case with the Supreme Court on October 29. 

Deputy Speaker Eva Abdulla recused herself from chairing sittings this week, citing the ongoing case. The Parliament, in turn, decided not to table the motion until the court issued its judgment.

On Thursday, the Supreme Court delivered its verdict, asserting that the Parliament can proceed with the motion even without Eva Abdulla. The court found the earlier decision to halt the motion unconstitutional.

Despite the court ruling, Speaker Mohamed Nasheed has hinted at his intention to continue obstructing the motion. Shortly after the court’s judgment, Nasheed communicated via the Parliament’s Whatsapp group, stating that the court case had delayed the motion for five days. He expressed his belief that he can persist in thwarting it until President-elect Dr. Mohamed Muizzu assumes office on November 17.

It is noteworthy that the MDP had previously submitted no-confidence motions against both Nasheed and Eva earlier this year. However, the motions were withdrawn in September during negotiations between the MDP and the Democrats – the party to which both Nasheed and Eva belong – for the presidential runoff election.

The no-confidence motion against Nasheed, endorsed by 49 MPs on October 9, has prompted the MDP, holding a supermajority in Parliament with 56 MPs, to issue a three-line whip to ensure the motion’s passage.