News

No confidence motion against Minister to be initiated after budget debate

Speaker of the Parliament and former president of the Maldives has stated that a no confidence motion against Home Minister Imran Abdulla will be initiated after the state budget for the upcoming year is finalized.

Nasheed made the announcement while beginning Monday’s Parliament sitting. The Speaker said the Parliament’s General Committee has allocated a duration of two hours to debate on the minister’s no confidence motion.

While a duration of thirty minutes will be granted to the minister to speak in his defence, ten minutes will be granted to the minister to respond to the claims against him at the beginning of the debate. He will also be allocated an additional ten minutes both during and after the debate.

“I have not put this matter on the agenda yet. However, when the debate on the state budget is concluded, I will hopefully add it to the agenda,” said Speaker Nasheed.

A no confidence motion is being sought against the Home Minister by the opposition. The opposition claims that the minister had spoken deceitfully at the parliament regarding documents that allegedly connect the disappearance of local journalist Ahmed Rilwan to former president Abdulla Yameen.

The opposition also claims the Home Minister had spoken inaccurately regarding the alleged rape of a foreigner aboard a liveaboard vessel. His actions obstruct the investigation, said the opposition.

However, the parliamentary group leader of main-ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), which holds parliament majority, has hinted that the party would not back the no confidence motion.