Minister Mariya’s no-confidence motion halted
The speaker said that he will place the impeachment motion in the agenda after the parliament approves the necessary amendments
Minister Mariya at a parliament sitting
The no-confidence motion against Defence Minister Mariya Didi has been halted after it was found that the parliament regulation has not been amended according to a Supreme Court ruling.
Before concluding Wednesday’s sitting, speaker Qasim Ibrahim said that he will place the impeachment motion in the agenda after the parliament proposes and passes the necessary amendments according to the court’s ruling.
Opposition Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) proposed the no-confidence motion with 14 signatures in late February over comments the Defence Minister made in an interview with the Indian media. She had said that India had enough military power to take over the Maldives.
According to the constitution, a no-confidence motion against a minister needs signatures of at least 10 MPs before it can be voted on and the parliament is required to give the minister a chance to respond 14 days before the debate begins.
A no-confidence motion against a minister needs the votes of 43 MPs to pass.
On May 22, 2017, the Supreme Court ruled that even if the parliament passes a no-confidence motion, the court has the final say in the matter.
