Government coalition Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) and People's National Congress (PNC) said that they would not allow efforts to remove President Dr Mohamed Muizzu to proceed through parliament.
The coalition said that such an event would not be allowed to unfold despite what the parliament majority holding Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) and their breakaway party, The Democrats, may want.
In a press conference held today, PPM Parliamentary Group (PG) Leader Eydhafushi constituency MP Ahmed Saleem (Redwave Saleem) said that the coalition would stop any efforts from MDP to remove President Dr Muizzu from his office.
"We will not allow them any opportunities to go ahead with this. They will have to kill us all first before they can even think of removing the President from office," Saleem stated.
Mahibadoo constituency MP Ahmed Thoriq (Tom) said that the results of the last presidential election made it evident that events in the country do not align with the wishes of MDP.
"A parliament which is nearing the end of its term and is on its way out is trying to remove the sitting President. That is not going to happen," Thoriq added.
Thoriq described MDP's efforts to remove the President as futile, pointing out that some of their own members had voted against the party's whip line even during today's votes on cabinet approval.
"That in itself proves that MDP does not in actuality have the numbers they want," he declared.
A minimum of 53 votes are required within parliament to remove a sitting President. Thoriq claims that the number cannot be reached even through adding together the members of MDP and The Democrats, expressing his belief that there are members among both parties who would refuse to cooperate with such a vote.
Thoriq said that he hopes the government would lodge the issue at the Supreme Court.
Article 100 of the Constitution states that the parliament can remove the President through a resolution if it is submitted by at least one third of the total number of parliamentarians and specifies the reasons for the request.
The conditions that would allow for removal, as outlined in the constitution, are;
1. Direct violation of a tenet of Islam, the Constitution, or other laws
2. Serious misconduct unacceptable of a President
3. inability to perform the mandated responsibilities
MDP has as of yet not specified their justification behind initiating the President's removal.
Parliament proceedings were disrupted by pro-government MPs yesterday after MDP and The Democrats stated they would each not be voting in favour of approving four cabinet members.
PPM and PNC members protested the opposition's decision to withhold approval from some ministers, stating that the parties had not provided valid justification for the rejections.
Subsequently, MDP decided that it would submit a no confidence motion against the President, with a member of the party confirming to Mihaaru News that the party had gathered the required number of signatures to support the motion.
After these events, parliament was finally able to proceed with conducting the cabinet minister approval votes, resulting in 19 out of 22 ministers being granted approval.
The three cabinet members who were refused approval are Attorney General Ahmed Usham, Minister of Islamic Affairs Dr Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed, and Minister of Housing, Land and Urban Development Dr Ali Haidar Ahmed.
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