Abdulla Maseeh has resigned from his post as Parliament Speaker, hours after the impeachment motion against him was placed on Thursday’s agenda.
The General-Purpose Committee earlier decided that the impeachment motion against the pro-government speaker put forth in July last year is valid and gave Maseeh 30 minutes to respond at Thursday’s sitting.
Some MPs from ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) and coalition partner Maldives Development Alliance (MDA) has also supported his impeachment.
In a tweet on Thursday, Ahmed Nihan, the leader of the ruling party's parliamentary group, thanked speaker Maseeh for his service and for being a 'team player' since he was appointed on 29 May 2014.
29 May 2014 - 1 Nov 2018 ah Raiyyithunge Majlis Raees kamuge magaamuga Manikufaanu Mi Gaumah kohdhevvee agu nukurevey fadha bodu Khidhumaiythakeh. PPM #TeamPlayer eh gothuga keiy therikamaa eku kurehvvi hivvarah assaribahaa saabas dhannavan. pic.twitter.com/12srqY9Vw8
— Ahmed Nihan (@ahmed_nihan) November 1, 2018
It was also revealed in mid-October that Maseeh has decided to resign as Speaker, with a credible source having confirmed that he had even prepared his resignation.
Since then, the opposition coalition has announced their decision to back Jumhooree Party leader Qasim Ibrahim as the new speaker.
