Efforts are underway to impeach President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu and the signatures needed to begin the process have been collected, the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) said today.
The MDP said it is working together with The Democrats to impeach President Muizzu. The opposition parties moved to impeach the President after MPs from the ruling coalition obstructed Parliament sittings over the decision to reject some ministerial appointees.
Adhadhu has learned that 34 MPs have signed the President's impeachment motion so far. The number of signatures needed to submit the motion is 26.
The effort to remove President Muizzu comes after the opposition brought changes to Parliament's rules of procedure concerning the impeachment process.
Despite beginning the process of impeaching President Muizzu, the opposition parties have not made any official comment on the move.
Changes brought to the rules
If a motion is moved to impeach the President and Vice President, a committee made changes to the procedure and sequence in Parliament's rules to prevent it from being held at the Speaker's table. 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
- A minimum notice of two hours must be provided in writing to request any information or document.
