MDP to dismiss MPs voting to remove Attorney General

The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) announced that it will dismiss any of its members who vote in favor of the no-confidence motion submitted to Parliament against Attorney General Ibrahim Riffath.

Opposition Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) and People's National Congress (PNC) PPM-PNC coalition filed a no-confidence motion against Riffath last Thursday, claiming that the legal team he had led did not represent the best interests of the Maldives at the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) during boundary demarcation with Mauritius.

While the coalition has filed a no-confidence motion against the Attorney General, the coalition claimed that they will soon submit similar motions against President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid.

Meanwhile, parliament members from MDP who are aligned with parliament Speaker Nasheed has been advocating for the removal of Riffath.

Addressing this issue, MDP Vice Chairperson and President's Office Minister Ibrahim Waheed stated that any member who participates in anti-party activities will have their membership cancelled.

When asked if any complaints had been filed against members in the party's action committee, Waheed responded that no such actions had been taken so far. However, he added that the party's general regulations dictate that members who participate in any activities against the party will face dismissal.

Following the filing of the no-confidence motion against the Attorney General, MDP released a statement that it will not allow the motion to be passed in parliament.

A no-confidence motion needs approval from 43 of the parliament's 87 members to pass, as it is passed by the majority of the total membership of the parliament.

Currently, the opposition has 13 members in the parliament, including six members from PPM, two members from PNC, two from the Jumhooree Party (JP), and three from the Maldives National Party (MNP).

While 13 members are aligned with Nasheed, 54 members of parliament are aligned with President Solih.