Former Chief Justice Dr Ahmed Abdulla Didi has said that if the People’s Majlis fails to impeach President Mohamed Muizzu, the responsibility to do so falls upon the citizens.
In a post on X, Didi asserted that when the Parliament—vested by the Constitution with the power to impeach the President—betrays the public and evades its constitutional obligations, the only remaining solution lies in Article 4 of the Constitution.
"When the President’s unconstitutional abuse of power becomes commonplace, and the Parliament, entrusted with impeachment powers, betrays both the Constitution and the people by shirking its constitutional duties, there is only one solution left. That is Article 4 of the Constitution," he said.
Article 4 of the Constitution stipulates that all powers of the Maldivian state originate from the people and shall remain with the people.
Didi further contended that if the Maldives had a responsible Parliament truly representing the people, the President would have been impeached by now.
Additionally, Didi noted that the concept of a "no-confidence vote" against the President is not recognised by the Constitution. He clarified that the constitutional mechanism for removal is the impeachment process as prescribed under Article 100.
His remarks follow a call by Velidhoo MP Mohamed Abbas yesterday for a no-confidence motion against Muizzu. Abbas said that citizens are currently unable to live in peace and stability.
Under the Maldivian Constitution, a motion to remove the President can be submitted to Parliament with the signatures of one-third of the members, which equates to 31 representatives.
Furthermore, the resolution to remove the President from office requires a two-thirds majority of the total membership of the Parliament, totalling 62 votes.
Currently, the ruling People’s National Congress (PNC) holds a supermajority with 73 out of the 93 seats in the People’s Majlis. Of the remaining 20 members, 13 belong to the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), while the rest represent the Jumhooree Party (JP), the Maldives Development Alliance (MDA), or sit as independents.
