Addu Meedhoo MP Rozaina Adam has described Parliament Speaker Mohamed Nasheed and Deputy Speaker Eva Abdulla's behavior in the Parliament as a "hijacking" of the Parliament.
The main-ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) is actively pursuing a no-confidence motion against Parliament Speaker Mohamed Nasheed and Depputy Speaker Eva Abdulla. While Eva's case was initiated first, the 14-day notice period issued to Eva to respond to the motion against her has expired. However, the motion is yet to be placed on the Parliament's agenda, causing dissatisfaction among pro-government MPs over the delay. The Parliament had previously stated that the current no-confidence motions necessitate the reconstitution of committees, with the General Committee determining the timeline for such motions.
Following discussions, the no-confidence motion against Eva was placed on the agenda for Tuesday's session. However, the session could not proceed as planned due to the absence of a member to preside over it. According to a statement by the Parliament's Secretary General Fathimath Niusha, both Nasheed and Eva have recused themselves from presiding over parliamentary sessions until a decision is made regarding the no-confidence motions against them.
According to the Parliament Rules, the Deputy Speaker assumes the role of presiding over sessions in the absence of the Speaker. If both positions are vacant, the Speaker appoints the MP with the longest tenure in Parliament to fulfill the role. In this regard, Speaker Nasheed appoints Vilifushi MP Hassan Afeef to preside over sessions under such circumstances. However, it is not known how Afeef conducted himself at Tuesday's session.
In response to these developments, MP Rozaina expressed her dissatisfaction on Twitter. She characterized the actions of Nasheed and Eva as effectively "hijacking" the Parliament while refusing to resign from their positions simultaneously.
"They decline to preside over sessions, yet they continue to accept their salaries and allowances," Rozaina wrote in her tweet.
