The ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) said on Thursday that talks are due to begin on reconstituting parliament's standing committees after the departure of MPs from the majority party.
Hithadhoo Uthuru MP Mohamed Aslam, MDP's parliamentary group leader, told Adhadhu that a decision regarding the committees would be made today after discussions at the parliament secretariat.
The composition of the standing committees are based on the number of MPs in the political parties represented in parliament. As such, the MDP controlled a majority on the committees. But the 13 MPs who left the party to form The Democrats had been among those assigned by the MDP to the standing committees. They also included MPs who chaired committees.
While the reconstitution of committees was therefore required, important work remains unfinished at the committees, including bills submitted to parliament on behalf of the government.
A privileges complaint raised by an MP during attorney general Ibrahim Riffath's defence on a no-confidence motion over the country's southern exclusive economic zone dispute also remains to come before the reconstituted privileges committee.
The committees would also play an important role in the sittings to be held to proceed with a no-confidence motion filed against speaker Mohamed Nasheed.
A no-confidence motion against deputy speaker Eva Abdulla, which was previously tabled in the agenda for next Sunday's sitting, was also parked indefinitely until the committees could be reconstituted.
According to a statement released by parliament on Thursday, the motion was removed from the agenda because the composition of the standing committees has yet to be approved after the change in the political parties registry and number of independent MPs.
According to the parliament's rules, the amount of time allocated for debate on an impeachment resolution would be approved by the general affairs committee.
The no-confidence motion against Galolhu Uthuru MP Eva would be placed back on the agenda after the debate times are decided, the parliament said.
Eva was among the 13 MPs in the MDP's faction who supported Nasheed and left the party to form The Democrats.
The MDP's parliamentary group decided to remove Eva after the resignations. A three-line whip to vote in favour of the motion was also approved by the parliamentary group.
The no-confidence motion to remove Nasheed as speaker was submitted with the signature of 50 MDP MPs.
MPs who support Nasheed started work on forming a new party after Medhu Henveiru MP Ali Azim was expelled from the MDP for signing the no-confidence motion filed by the opposition against attorney general Riffath.
The MDP parliamentary group decided to impeach Nasheed after he stalled a vote on the no-confidence motion against Riffath, accusing him of violating the constitution and parliamentary rules of procedure.
