The Parliamentary Group (PG) of the main ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has stated that some of its members are pondering not attending the swearing-in ceremony of the President-elect.
At a press conference, MDP PG Leader Mohamed Aslam said that the PG members do not intend to interfere with the swearing-in ceremony of the President-elect, in accordance with the wishes of incumbent President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih. He, however, said that some PG members are pondering not attending the function, even though no official decision has been made. He added that the quorum would be filled even if the members refrain from attending the swearing-in ceremony.
Additionally, Aslam said that the crucial work related to the proposed state budget for next year should begin upon the conclusion of the no-confidence motion against the Speaker. As such, he said that the Parliament will resume its work once the Supreme Court announces its decision on the issue, emphasising that they will respect any outcome and move forward with the work related to the state budget and the supplementary budget. He added that the MDP PG will not support any work at the committees until the no-confidence motion is concluded.
The Supreme Court has accepted the Constitutional case filed by MDP to find a resolution on the stalled no-confidence motion. MDP submitted the no-confidence motion against Speaker Mohamed Nasheed with 49 signatures on October 9. Speaker Nasheed was required to respond to the motion within 14 days after receiving the notice. However, the last two sittings were cancelled after Deputy Speaker Eva Abdulla filed for sick leave. The motion has now been scheduled for November 1.
MDP stated that the parliamentary regulations dictate that if the Speaker or Deputy Speaker is unable to preside over a sitting, the senior most member appointed by the Speaker should take charge. However, the Secretary General of Parliament stated that the regulations specify that only the Deputy Speaker can preside over a no-confidence motion against the Speaker, and there are no explicit provisions for situations where the Deputy Speaker is unavailable for this duty.