Mohamed Muizzu, the president of the Maldives, is subject to the impeachment process after altercations in Parliament over the weekend. According to reports, the majority-holding main opposition MDP has secured the necessary signatures and intends to submit the resolution on Monday. The events coincide with a growing diplomatic spat with India.
After obtaining 54% of the vote, Mohamed Muizzu was chosen as the Maldives' president in late 2023. The People's Majlis has a total of 19 seats held by the ruling coalition, hence Muizzu's removal is a very serious prospect. For a motion to be approved, the 80-seat House must vote in favor of it by a two-thirds majority.
With 43 members in Parliament, the Maldivian Democratic Party, led by former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, presently enjoys a majority. Thirteen seats are held by the Democratic party, which is led by Mohamed Nasheed, another former president. In comparison, the coalition commanded by Muizzu only consists of 19 members.
Together with the Democrats, the MDP has secured enough signatures to support an impeachment motion. But they haven't submitted it yet," an MDP lawmaker was reported by Sun.com to clarify. According to the local news source Adhadhu, the impeachment resolution has the support of 34 MPs.
Up until November, when seven MPs left Parliament to take up leadership roles in the Muizzu-led administration, things had been a little different. The MDP had changed the standing orders of the Parliament after the Elections Commission decided against holding by-elections because parliamentary elections are not expected to take place until 2024.
The number of vacated seats is not taken into account when calculating the total number of members as per the new regulations. The Attorney General's Office filed a complaint with the Maldives Supreme Court on Sunday regarding the latest modification, according to reports from the local media. But the case hasn't been registered by the court yet.
