The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) on Wednesday said it would not approve the new cabinet as the President-Elect's oath of office would not be valid without a vote on the impeachment of Parliament Speaker Mohamed Nasheed.
The MDP parliamentary group announced at a press conference that the party would not cooperate with any work in parliament until the no-confidence motion goes ahead.
Kinbidhoo MP Mohamed Nashiz said MPs have lost confidence in Nasheed and such a person should not be the Speaker of Parliament.
"The right thing to do is to call for the vote and see if he has the confidence of MPs. If he has no confidence, he must leave and give the post to someone else," Nashiz said.
MDP MPs believe that the no-confidence motion is being delayed because Nasheed wants to attend President-Elect Dr. Mohamed Muizzu's swearing-in ceremony on November 17.
“We do not believe that it would be a legitimate session of Parliament on November 17, 2023, without a vote on the no-confidence motion,” Nashiz said.
Nashiz has made it very clear that if the session is held in this manner, the MDP, which already has the only members in parliament, will not approve the cabinet of President Muizzu.
The MDP's decision came after President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih decided to give full cooperation to the incoming government. When asked whether the party's decision contradicted the President's decision, the MDP said it did not believe so.
The MDP moved the impeachment motion with the signatures of 49 MPs on October 8. The motion has been tabled in the agenda for next Sunday and the MDP has issued a three-line whip to impeach Nasheed.
