The election of a new Deputy Speaker of Parliament has been postponed until Monday.

A no-confidence motion against Deputy Speaker Ahmed Nazim had been scheduled for debate during today's sitting. However, the position became vacant after Nazim resigned shortly before the session began.

Following his resignation, Speaker Abdul Raheem Abdulla announced during the morning sitting that another sitting would be held at 1pm.

However, Parliament Secretariat later announced that the sitting had been rescheduled for tomorrow.

The agenda for Monday's sitting has not yet been published. However, a member of the ruling People's National Congress (PNC), which holds a supermajority in parliament, said the session would include the election of a new Deputy Speaker.

The no-confidence motion against Nazim was backed by 73 members of the PNC parliamentary group.

The resolution alleged abuse of office and claimed that Nazim had encouraged actions that disrupted parliament's harmony while failing to take responsibility for them.

Nazim denied the allegations in a statement announcing his resignation.

He was elected Deputy Speaker on 28 May 2024 after securing 80 votes in Parliament. His opponent, Ahmed Didi of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), received 12 votes.

Nazim had also previously served as Deputy Speaker during the 17th Parliament.

Parliament earlier extended its first session until today. The extension will now continue to allow members to elect a new Deputy Speaker during Monday's sitting.