- Conflict escalated as Faris, Nadira were in session
- Maumoon claims Council is valid
- Session halted over loss of quorum
The hastily convened Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) Council meeting was abandoned a while after the meeting started, due to loss of quorum.
Twenty-one out of the 31 members in attendance had walked out of the session.
Following the walk out, Party President Maumoon Abdul Qayyoom convened a press conference, stating that members had walked out after expressing their dissatisfaction over the presence of two Members who they claimed the two Members had been dismissed from the Party. Maumoon had denied this claim, stating that no Member had been dismissed and the Council was proceeding as per the laws.
Members supporting President Yameen had walked out from the meeting and the quorum was lost. Maumoon said the session was cancelled due to loss of quorum. Out of the 33 Members of the Council, only six Members had backed President Maumoon.
A Council Member who had walked out the session said he did not believe that any session conducted with dismissed Members could be valid. He said even Maumoon had to heed the decisions made by the Party. He added that both Dhiggaru Constituency MP Faris Maumoon and Member Nadira were dismissed in accordance with Party laws and therefore cannot attend any meetings.
Addressing media, President Maumoon said the suit against him in Civil Court was filed without his knowledge. He said that it was deeply saddening that PPM PG Members on various media had accused him of hijacking the Party. Noting that only three out of the six members had been present in the Committee meeting held and added the decision still had not been forwarded to the Party office. He said due to these reasons the decision cannot be deemed as a just one.
“However, they say the decision can now only be overthrown by the Appeal Committee. The Ethics Committee decision was a just one,” he said.
