Speaker Mohamed Nasheed decided today to end parliament's session and break for recess despite a proposal by the Maldivian Democratic Party's (MDP) majority to postpone holidays until important matters could be concluded.
In the past before a session ended, the speaker provided statistics of the work done and announced the length of the break. He also officially announces the start of recess. Instead, he said today that "the last sitting of this session has ended."
"The final sitting of the second session of 2023 has ended," Nasheed said.
Nasheed returned to preside over sittings after recusing himself for a period after the MDP submitted no-confidence motions against both himself and deputy speaker Eva Abdulla. The only item on the agenda for today's sitting was a debate on assigning MPs to parliamentary committees.
MDP's proposal to extend the session
In a letter sent to speaker Nasheed, Hithadhoo Uthuru MP Mohamed Aslam, the MDP's parliamentary group leader, said it was Nasheed's responsibility under section 44 of parliament's rules to ensure that sittings could go ahead despite recusing himself.
Aslam said Nasheed violated the rules by deciding to hold a sitting today with only the matter of determining the proportion of independent MPs and MPs from political parties on standing committees on the agenda.
"[...] I request the inclusion of the following items, and especially a decision on reconstituting parliament's standing committees, in the sitting's agenda and to allow the opportunity to extend parliament's session until decisions could be made on these matters," Aslam wrote in the letter.
Matters to be concluded
- Reconstitution of committees
- No-confidence motions against attorney general Ibrahim Riffath and foreign minister Abdulla Shahid
- Amendments to parliament's standing orders
- Appointment of members to the Elections Commission
- Impeachment of speaker and deputy speaker
Aside from the motions to remove Shahid and Riffath, the other matters were proposed by the MDP.
Nasheed's return
Before announcing the agenda at the start of today's sitting, Nasheed repeated his contention that parliament was deadlocked because no-confidence motions were filed at the same time against both the speaker and deputy speaker.
"I am presiding here today because I believe I have to serve a much higher interest than my objections. That is the interests of the Maldivian people," Nasheed said.
Parliament's deadlock does not serve the public's interest, he said. It was regrettable that other branches of the state have not assisted to resolve parliament's impasse, he added, referring to the executive and judiciary.
"And [I note], especially that the majority party here has not helped at all to resolve the problem," Nasheed said.
After recusing himself from presiding, Nasheed assigned Vilufushi MP Hassan Afeef under section 44 of parliament's rules to serve as chair. But the rules state an MP who is delegated as such could only preside over three consecutive sittings. Afeef presided over three sittings since then.
With no MP assigned to chair, sittings were not held for two consecutive days after Monday's sitting.
