More lawmakers scrambled to leave the ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) on Monday as the government in a desperate attempt to reverse the slide turned to the country's top court to disqualify rebel MPs.
As the Attorney General (AG) was filing a constitutional case asking the Supreme Court to disqualify MPs who defect or violate party whip-lines, Ihavandhoo MP Mohamed Abdulla, Thimarafushi MP Mohamed Musthafa and South-Thinadhoo MP Abdulla Mohamed officially asked to leave the party to join south-Machchangoalhi MP Abdulla Sinan, Villingili MP Saud Hussain and North-Thinadhoo MP Saudulla Hilmy to quit the party on Monday.
Dhihdhoo lawmaker Abdul Latheef Mohamed and Hanimaadhoo lawmaker Hussain Shahudhee also left the ruling party last week followed by Dhangethi MP Ilham Ahmed on Sunday.
The tally of lawmakers to leave the embattled ruling party now stands at nine after the government lost its control in parliament as the opposition garnered the signatures of 45 lawmakers to file a fresh censure motion to unseat the parliament speaker Abdulla Maseeh.
After the now opposition coalition in March had filed a second motion to unseat speaker Abdulla Maseeh, the government had engineered 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 opposition had filed the third censure motion against Maseeh with 45 lawmakers which included ten lawmakers from the ruling party.
Government meanwhile on Monday made a last ditch attempt to stop bleeding lawmakers from the ruling party by filing a constitutional case asking the Supreme Court to disqualify MPs who defect or violate party whip-lines.
Attorney General (AG) Mohamed Anil who submitted the case argued that lawmakers who get elected on political party tickets make a promise to the people to uphold the belief, ideologies and policies of a particular political party.
So lawmakers do not have the right to switch parties or go against the party he or she represents which would be a violation of the rights of his or her voters, the AG argued.
The state has asked the country's top court to disqualify MPs elected on a particular party's ticket if he or she goes against the party's ideologies, quitting the party and or switching to another political party.
The case requires the Supreme Court to interpret four articles of the country's constitution.
The AG also said the lack of an anti-defection law paved the way for undue influence of lawmakers and the parliament which was a grave threat to the constitutionally elected government.
