Amidst the opposition’s proclamation to oust President Mohamed Muizzu of the Maldives, the government has initiated legal action regarding the recent modification to Parliament’s procedural rules facilitating impeachment, as reported by media outlets on Tuesday.

 

On Sunday, the Attorney General’s Office lodged a petition coinciding with clashes erupting within the legislative body between pro-administration legislators and those from the opposition, stemming from disagreements over endorsing four cabinet members.

 

The primary opposition force, the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), which commands a parliamentary majority, impeded the approval of three cabinet appointees by President Mohamed Muizzu on Monday.

 

Subsequently, the MDP declared its intention to motion for the president’s impeachment, already commencing the process of securing signatures for the endeavor.

However, by Monday evening, the three ministers were reinstated.

 

The dispute regarding the appointment of the three ministers ensued after seven lawmakers resigned from their parliamentary positions in November to assume high-ranking roles in Muizzu’s administration.

 

“However, the Elections Commission opted against conducting by-elections as the parliamentary elections are slated for this year,” cited the online news portal Sun.mv on Tuesday.

 

Exploiting this scenario, the MDP revised Parliament’s procedural rules so that vacant seats are not factored into the total MP count, thereby reducing the requisite votes for President Muizzu’s impeachment from 58 to 54, with the current MP count at 80 instead of the previous 87, per the amended rules.

 

Last week, the MDP and the Democrats announced a collaboration in Parliament “to hold the government accountable.” “The MDP and Democrats collectively possess 56 MPs, comprising 43 from MDP and 13 from Democrats. Consequently, they wield the authority to impeach the president if they opt to do so,” reported Sun.com.

 

Attorney General Ahmed Usham informed Sun.com on Tuesday afternoon that his office “lodged the petition with the Supreme Court on Sunday, yet the court has not yet registered the case.” A lawmaker from MDP confirmed on Monday that the party had gathered adequate signatures for an impeachment motion, although it has not been submitted as of yet.

 

Pro-China Muizzu, aged 45, secured victory over the India-friendly incumbent Ibrahim Mohamed Solih in the presidential runoff held in September last year. On January 24, underscoring India as the “most enduring ally,” the MDP and the Democrats voiced apprehensions about the Muizzu administration’s “anti-India stance.” The Maldives’ geographical proximity to India, merely 70 nautical miles from the Minicoy island in Lakshadweep and 300 nautical miles from the western coast of the mainland, alongside its pivotal location at the heart of commercial sea routes traversing the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), renders it strategically significant.

 

The Maldives serves as India’s prominent maritime neighbor in the IOR and occupies a distinctive position in initiatives like ‘SAGAR’ (Security and Growth for All in the Region) and the ‘Neighborhood First Policy’ under the Narendra Modi government.