Maldivian President Faces Impeachment Motion as Opposition Gathers Support

The President of Maldives, Mohamed Muizzu, is facing the threat of impeachment as the main opposition party, the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), gathers support in Parliament. This comes after a tumultuous session where violence erupted between government MPs and the Speaker.

The MDP, in partnership with the Democrats, has gathered enough signatures for an impeachment motion against President Mohamed Muizzu. However, the motion has not yet been submitted. If successful, it would potentially lead to the removal of the President from office.

According to reports, a total of 34 members including representatives from both the MDP and Democrats have expressed their support for the impeachment motion. The decision to submit the motion was taken unanimously in a parliamentary group meeting of the MDP.

In response to the disruptions caused by government lawmakers during parliament proceedings, the MDP had previously announced that they would deny approval to the home minister, Ali Ihusan, and the defense minister, Mohamed Ghassan Maumoon. Heavy police force deployment has been made inside the Maldivian parliament following the skirmish between political leaders.

The clash between government MPs and the Speaker occurred during a special session aimed at seeking parliamentary approval for ministers in President Mohamed Muizzu’s cabinet. The motion for impeachment comes after recent amendments to the standing orders of the Maldives Parliament, making it easier for MPs to submit an impeachment motion.

The MDP and Democrats combined have a total of 56 MPs in Parliament, and Maldives’ Constitution and Parliament standing orders state that the President can be impeached with 56 votes. However, the motion still needs to go through the formal submission process to proceed.

Proper Nouns: Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu, Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), Democrats, Parliament, Ali Ihusan, Mohamed Ghassan Maumoon, Maldives, Parliament complex, PPM/PNC party, Isa, Abdullah Shaheem Abdul Hakeem