Parliament speaker and former president Mohamed Nasheed has decided to step away from his duties as speaker until his impeachment motion is resolved.
While Nasheed decided to step away from duties, parliamentary procedures state that the speaker must preside over the sitting to move the no-confidence motion of the deputy speaker.
The ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has submitted no-confidence motions against both the speaker and his deputy Eva Abdulla.
MDP has asked the parliament secretary general Fathimath Niusha to table Eva’s motion for Monday as the 14-day period given in the procedures ends tomorrow.
“I excuse myself from speaker duties until the MPs resolve my impeachment motion. I believe the parliamentary procedures’ clause 44 (a) gives me this option,” Nasheed said in a letter addressed to Niusha.
According to clause 44 of the parliamentary procedures, if the speaker and deputy speaker want to be excused from duties, the speaker must appoint temporary speakers as per clause 82 (b) of the constitution.
Clause 82 (b) of the constitution states that the speaker or deputy speaker must preside over sittings and if they are not available a person would be appointed for that duty as per the parliament rules.
Nasheed said although he wants to step away from speaker duties, he would remain in managing parliamentary matters to the extent allowed under the rules.
He also assured the secretary general that he would not do anything that would obstruct her duties while his impeachment motion is underway.
Eva’s motion has still not been put on the agenda for Monday although the 14-day period given by the rules ends tomorrow. The sitting should be organised by the general committee but the committee has not been reconstituted yet.
On Saturday night, Niusha said Eva’s motion cannot be tabled for Monday as 13 MPs have left the MDP and that would change the composition of committees.
She said the committees must be reconstituted before any work can proceed. But the MDP says the composition of permanent committees will not change and it is the secretary general’s responsibility to call for committee meetings.
