The appointment of justices to the Supreme Court with only 36 votes from an 85-seat parliament is an ‘insult to the Maldivian people’, former president Mohamed Nasheed has said.

Nasheed, who has announced his bid presidency in the upcoming ballots, said in a post on Twitter that to acknowledge the newly appointed judges is an affront to sitting judges as well.

Nasheed’s tweet translates to, ’to accept and acknowledge Supreme Court adjudicators appointed through just 36 votes from an 85-member parliament is an insult to members of the judiciary and the Maldivian people’.

Justice Ahmed Abdulla Didi was put at the helm of the top court at a parliamentary sitting on Wednesday, where High Court judges Abdul Gani and Abdulla Didi were voted in as well. 

While Nasheed questions the validity of appointments with said number of votes, several opposition-aligned lawmakers have also described the appointments as unlawful or violating parliamentary procedure.