Government on Monday lost its control in parliament after the opposition garnered the signatures of 45 lawmakers to file a fresh censure motion to unseat the speaker.
After the now opposition coalition in March had filed a second motion to unseat speaker Abdulla Maseeh in as many weeks, the government had appeared to quash opposition hopes as the government controlled parliamentary general committee 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 country has plunged into fresh political strife after the main opposition leaders including former presidents Maumoon Abdul Gayoom and Mohamed Nasheed penned a historic treaty against the government.
The opposition has since diverted its focus to weaken the government through the parliament. The latest development would be a major boost for the opposition as nine government lawmakers had reportedly signed the motion.
