Maldives Opposition Prepares to File Impeachment Motion Against President Muizzu: Report

The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), which holds a majority in the Parliament, has gathered enough signatures to submit a motion to impeach President Mohamed Muizzu, local media reported on Monday.

The MDP, in partnership with the other opposition party The Democrats, has gathered enough signatures for an impeachment motion, one of the lawmakers from MDP told SunOnline outlet.

According to the Maldivian Constitution, the removal of the Maldivian President requires a resolution submitted by one-third of Majlis members, stating the reasons for removal.

The resolution must then receive the support of two-thirds of the total membership of the Majlis. The president can be impeached with 54 votes.

However, the opposition parties have yet to submit the motion. This comes a day after clashes broke out in Maldives’ Parliament between pro-government MPs and opposition lawmakers over differences over the approval of four members of pro-China Muizzu’s cabinet. A video of the brawl is making rounds on the internet.

Brawl in Parliament

On Sunday, the main opposition MDP decided to withhold parliamentary approval for four members of the President’s cabinet ahead of the voting on the cabinet. The decision of the opposition MDP and The Democrats’ parliamentary group not to approve some members of President Muizzu’s cabinet, has led to the ruling party Progressive Party of Maldives and People’s National Congress (PPM/PNC) coalition affiliated parliamentarians to disrupt parliament proceedings.

MDP, which has a majority in parliament, has decided not to vote to approve Attorney General Ahmed Usham, Minister of Housing, Land and Urban Development Dr. Ali Haidar, Minister of Islamic Affairs Dr. Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed, and Minister of Economic Development and Trade Mohamed Saeed. The Ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) and the People’s National Congress (PNC) coalition have said that denying parliamentary approval to President Muizzu’s cabinet will be tantamount to obstructing the services the government gives to citizens.

Meanwhile, the ruling PPM-PNC coalition has filed no-confidence motions against the Parliament’s Speaker Mohamed Aslam and Deputy Speaker Ahmed Saleem, Sun.mv news website reported. The no-confidence motion stems from the stalled cabinet approval. The coalition has accused Speaker Aslam of misusing his official capacity to complement the interests of a certain party.

After assuming the Presidency of Maldives on year November, Muizzu, who is regarded as a pro-China leader, formally requested India to withdraw its military personnel from his country, saying the Maldivian people have given him a “strong mandate” to make this request to New Delhi. He also went on to upgrade Maldives’ ties with China.

(With agency inputs)