Nasheed recuses himself until no-confidence motion done

Parliament Speaker Mohamed Nasheed has recused himself from presiding over parliamentary sittings until a decision is made in the no-confidence motion filed against him by the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).

Nasheed announced his decision in a letter addressed to the Parliament’s secretary general on Sunday.

Nasheed said that while he will not preside over sittings until a decision is made, he will continue to conduct other work to the extent allowed under rules and regulations.

“I take this opportunity to assure you I will not do anything that will cause the slightest hinderance to the execution of your duties and responsibilities while the no-confidence motion against me remains in progress,” he wrote.

The no-confidence motion against him was submitted by MDP with the vote of 54 MPs last week. The main ruling party has also submitted a similar motion against Deputy Speaker Eva Abdulla.

The notice sent to Eva in the motion against her expires on Monday.

However, the Parliament has decided not to schedule the motion for the date, citing that necessary changes have not been brought to the committees after over a dozen MPs from MDP – including Eva – left the party. The Parliament said the General Purposes Committee has not decided on a debate time for the motion.

Parliamentary regulations dictate that no other work can be conducted until a decision is made in no-confidence motions against the Speaker or Deputy Speaker.

However, the motions cannot be processed until changes are made to the parliamentary committees, pushing the Parliament into a standstill.

The parliament’s majority leader, North Hithadhoo MP Mohamed Aslam has accused Nasheed of deliberately stalling the motions.

According to Article 82 of the Constitution, the Speaker is required to appoint an MP to preside over sittings if both the Speaker and Deputy Speaker are unavailable.