Members of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) have sought to restrict members of The Democrats from presiding over Parliament Speaker Mohamed Nasheed's no-confidence motion sitting.
Besides Nasheed and Deputy Speaker Eva Abdulla, the only other member of The Democrats who can chair the sittings according to the parliament regulations is Vilufushi MP Hassan Afeef.
Dhiggaru MP Ikram Abdulla requested from the Parliament Privilege and Ethics Committee to bar The Democrats members from chairing the no-confidence motion against Nasheed.
In response, South-Maafannu MP Adam Ali stated that deciding on such a complaint was not within the discretion of the committee. However, since it has already been approved that Eva and Afeef breached parliamentary privilege, he suggested that the issue could be forwarded to the general committee for a vote.
"The general committee has the discretion for an order to bar the members from chairing the Parliament Speaker's no-confidence sitting," MP Adam said.
The Parliament Privilege and Ethics Committee unanimously approved to submit the issue to the General Committee, which was confirmed by the committee's chair and Makunudhoo MP Mohamed Raaee.
Members who raised their concerns at the committee highlighted the family ties between Nasheed and Eva as a motivation to intentionally delay Nasheed's dismissal.
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