Parliament postpones cabinet approval vote to 01:00 pm

The Parliament has rescheduled the sitting to take the stymied vote on approval for President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu’s cabinet to 01:00 pm on Monday.

President Muizzu made a formal request for the approval of his cabinet on November 20, two days after the new administration took office.

The Parliament had been scheduled to vote on the cabinet on December 18, but the original report by the Government Oversight Committee was rejected. The Parliament held an extraordinary sitting on Sunday to take the vote on the committee’s new report, which it passed on December 30. But the Parliament was unable to hold the vote, after clashes broke out between pro-government and opposition lawmakers.

On Sunday night, the Parliament announced that a sitting would be held again at 11:00 am on Monday. The Parliament later announced that it has now been pushed back to 01:00 pm.

Clashes broke out on Sunday after the parliamentary group of the main opposition MDP – which holds a majority in the Parliament - issued a three-line red whip to withhold support to four government ministers.

They are:

• Ahmed Usham, attorney general
• Mohamed Saeed, economic minister
• Dr. Ali Haidar, housing minister
• Dr. Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed, Islamic minister

Meanwhile, the Democrats, which announced an alliance with MDP last week, has decided they will not approve three of the ministers. But instead of Shaheem, they decided they will withhold support to Moosa Zameer, the foreign minister.

As lawmakers from the ruling PPM-PNC coalition protested inside the chambers, a crowd of pro-government supporters gathered outside the Parliament building.

The protests continued into the night, forcing Speaker Mohamed Aslam to adjourn the sitting, just before 11:00 pm.