Mohamed Aslam, the leader of the MDP’s parliamentary group, declared that if the Parliament fails to conduct a vote of no-confidence against Speaker Mohamed Nasheed as instructed by the Supreme Court, the party, which holds a majority, will not endorse President-elect Dr. Mohamed Muizzu’s oath of office.
The Supreme Court deemed the Parliament’s decision to halt the motion unlawful, asserting that the motion, even if obstructed, should not impede Muizzu’s inauguration. Nasheed, following the judgment, plans to delay the motion until after Muizzu’s scheduled inauguration on November 17.
Expressing strong disapproval, Aslam stated that Nasheed should not cling to his position through sheer force, especially when facing a clear lack of confidence. Aslam argued that Nasheed cannot continue to hold the Parliament hostage, highlighting Nasheed’s past statements about former Speaker Abdulla Maseeh’s actions and contrasting them with his present behavior.
Aslam further conveyed that none of MDP’s lawmakers would collaborate in any parliamentary work with Nasheed chairing sittings, including endorsing Muizzu’s oath of office and his cabinet. The MDP had initially submitted no-confidence motions against Nasheed and Deputy Speaker Eva Abdulla earlier in the year, but withdrew them in September during negotiations with the Democrats for the presidential runoff election.
The recent motion against Nasheed, submitted on October 9 with the endorsement of 49 MPs, faced delays as Eva, Nasheed’s cousin, called in sick, thwarting the motion. The MDP then lodged a constitutional case with the Supreme Court on October 29. Following the court’s judgment, Eva recused herself from chairing sittings, citing the ongoing case, and the Parliament decided to table the motion on Sunday.
