Deputy Speaker Eva Abdulla has refused to preside over sittings until the Supreme Court rules on a case filed by the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) over the stalled no-confidence motion against Speaker Mohamed Nasheed.
Eva informed parliament of her recusal in a letter sent to Secretary General Fathmath Niusha.
The motion for Nasheed's impeachment was tabled in the agenda four times last week, but a sitting could not be held because Eva was on sick leave.
In her letter to the Secretary General, Eva said she believes the MDP petitioned the court because the party believes a Supreme Court decision on the dispute is important.
As the MDP argued that sittings with the impeachment motion on the agenda were canceled in violation of the rules and that the motion should be put to a vote, Eva said it is important for the court to issue a ruling.
In similar disputes in the past, parliament did not proceed before the court made a decision, she noted.
Holding a sitting of parliament before the Supreme Court delivers a judgment on the MDP's petition would be unduly influencing the ongoing case, Eva said in her letter.
But Eva's refusal came despite the Secretary General advising her that she could preside despite the Supreme Court case, Adhadhu has learned.
Eva informed the Parliament Secretariat of her refusal to preside over sittings last week.
Before that, the Secretary General had sent a letter advising Eva that she could preside despite the Supreme Court case and asked her to chair last Wednesday's sitting, Adhadhu has learned
But Eva did not attend the sitting and remained on sick leave. She then sent a letter refusing to preside until the Supreme Court rules on the MDP's case.
In response to Eva's letter, the Secretary General advised Eva again that the Supreme Court case and presiding over a sitting with reference to section 205 of the standing orders were unrelated.
The Secretary General requested the Deputy Speaker to attend the sitting scheduled for November 1, Adhadhu has learned.
The MDP petitioned to interpret parliament's rules to mean that an MP other than the Deputy Speaker could preside over a sitting with an impeachment motion against the Speaker in the agenda.
The party also asked the court to interpret the rules to mean that no other work could be done in parliament before concluding Nasheed's impeachment motion
The MDP characterized Eva's excuse on the grounds of the Supreme Court case after staying on sick leave when the motion to impeach Nasheed was tabled in the agenda as a pretext for "deliberately keeping parliament deadlocked."
Hulhumale' MP Ali Niyaz said he has learned that The Democrats want to keep parliament deadlocked for the present.
"From what I hear, PPM [Progressive Party of Maldives] and Democrats have a plan to keep parliament deadlocked until November 17. That's because they want Nasheed to preside over the sitting for the swearing-in of the new President. So they might make any kind of excuse," Ali Niyaz said.
Hearings in the MDP's petition for the Supreme Court to declare that the cancelation of the sitting with Nasheed's impeachment motion on the agenda contravened the rules are scheduled to begin at 9:45 am on Monday.
