The rules for the impeachment of the President and Vice President have been amended with changes to the order and time limits of the process.
The procedure for impeachment is detailed in Chapter 41 of the Rules of Procedure formed by the current 19th Parliament.
The Democrats' parliamentary group leader, Medhu Henveiru MP Ali Azim, proposed to the General Committee to amend the provisions of the Chapter.
The committee has now approved the proposal. However, it has not yet been sent to the floor. The motion is expected to be passed by the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) majority parliament next week.
Some changes brought to the rules
The committee approved rules and orders to prevent the matter from being held at the Speaker's table if a motion is moved to impeach the President and Vice President. The changes are;
- Notice shall be sent within two days of receipt of the motion
- Hold a sitting to proceed with the motion after 14 days of sending notice to MPs
- The debate on such a case is three hours. The President or Vice President will have 30 minutes to speak in defence.
- A maximum of three lawyers may be brought to defend
- If the motion is debated and passed by a majority of the MPs, the matter shall be referred to the committee
- The committee has seven members
Responsibility of the Committee
The Parliamentary Committee on the Impeachment of the President and Vice President shall consider whether the matters mentioned in the case meet the circumstances prescribed in Article 100 of the Constitution. The President and Vice President shall have the right to appear before the Committee and speak in their defense.
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A motion to impeach the President and Vice President can only be moved with the signatures of one-third of the MPs.
The new amendment sets out the procedure to be followed once the motion is debated and the matter is received by the committee and the procedure to be followed once the report is received by the Speaker.
- Investigate the matter within five days and send the report to the Speaker
- A session of Parliament shall be held to decide on the report within two days of receipt by the Speaker
If the committee decides to impeach the President or Vice President, they shall be removed from office by a two-thirds majority of the total number of MPs.
