Government on Sunday devised a move to quash the impending opposition led no confidence motions against parliament speaker Abdulla Maseeh and his deputy Moosa Manik.
The now opposition coalition had hours earlier filed a second motion unseat Maseeh in as many weeks ahead of the vote against Manik on Tuesday.
Despite the failure to oust the speaker on March 27, opposition had followed through with the vow to re-file the motion against Maseeh.
However, the government controlled parliamentary general committee in an impromptu sit-down had passed an amendment to the parliament rules of procedure raising the number of lawmaker signatures required to file a censure motion against the speaker and his deputy from 15 to 42.
The parliament has tabled the amendment on Monday's agenda and if passed, would nullify the impending censure motions and almost quash any hopes for the opposition to unseat the speaker.
The country has plunged into fresh political strife after the main opposition leaders penned a historic treaty against the government.
United Nations (UN) and the European Union (EU) have become the latest to join the chorus of international scrutiny Maldives has been facing since the failed censure motion against Maseeh.
But the backlash from the failed attempt to unseat the speaker has led to several key opposition figures being questioned by police over various allegations while opposition Jumhoory Party (JP) leader Gasim Ibrahim was arrested on Thursday.
The business magnate had been taken into custody over recent allegations of bribing fellow lawmakers and making incitements to overthrow the government.
He has since been remanded for six days.
Most of the island nation's international partners have all echoed the call to find political common-ground among the ruling parties and the opposition.
