The Secretary-General of the Parliament, Fathimath Niusha, has urged Parliament Speaker Mohamed Nasheed to proceed with the no-confidence motion against Deputy Speaker Eva Abdulla.
The main-ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) is actively seeking no-confidence motions against both Nasheed and Eva. While Eva's motion was initiated first, the matter has not been moving forward due to a parliamentary deadlock.
Nasheed and Eva have recused themselves from presiding over parliamentary sessions until the no-confidence motion against them is concluded. In a letter to the Secretary-General this week recusing himself from parliamentary sessions, Nasheed had said he would not do anything to interfere with the work of the Secretary-General.
According to the Parliament Rules, the Deputy Speaker assumes the role of presiding over sessions in the absence of the Speaker. If both members are vacant, the Speaker appoints the MP with the longest tenure in Parliament to fulfill the role. However, Nasheed did not appoint a member to chair Tuesday's session in the absence of the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker, as the Parliament rules instruct.
Opposition MPs argue that the Parliament has reached a deadlock for two reasons. They said there is no constitutional provision on how to proceed when no-confidence motions against both the speaker and the Deputy Speaker are submitted simultaneously. They also believe the changes required to Parliament committees, including the General Committee, which determines the timeframe for no-confidence motions, following the recent resignation of 13 MDP MPs from the party, have contributed to the stalemate.
In a three-page letter addressed to Nasheed, the Secretary-General outlined potential ways to address the stalemate. Regarding the reconstitution of standing committees, she suggested resolving the matter by including it on the agenda for a Parliament session. She said the stagnation of the General Committee should not be a reason to delay Eva's case.
The General Secretary proposed that Nasheed appoint a member to preside over parliamentary sessions as the Parliament rules dictate if he recuses himself from doing so.
To navigate the obstacles in determining a timeframe for responding to no-confidence motions due to the General Committee's stagnation, the Secretary-General recommended scheduling a debate on the matter and deciding the timeframe on the Parliament floor.
