Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid has been given 14 days to respond to the no-confidence motion against him.
The no-confidence motion was filed on May 18 with the signatures of 13 parliamentarians over his alleged failure to act in the best interest of the Maldives in the maritime boundary dispute with Mauritius. A no-confidence motion was also submitted against Attorney General (AG) Ibrahim Riffath over the dispute. Both motions were submitted with support from the main opposition Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM) and People’s National Congress (PNC), as well as Jumhooree Party (JP), Maldives National Party (MNP), and supporters of the Speaker of Parliament Mohamed Nasheed.
The main ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has stated that it will not allow the no-confidence motions to be successful. A motion of no-confidence against a minister can be submitted with the signatures of at least 10 parliamentarians and a majority of 43 parliamentarians are required to pass the motion.