The amendments passed by the parliament’s general purposes committee to amend laws on the dismissal of parliament speakers is unlawful, opposition parties have said. 

Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party’s parliamentary group leader, said that amendment cannot even be presented to the parliament floor, let alone be discussed. 

Solih said that even a single discontent parliamentarian should be able to pursue a motion of no-confidence against the speaker. 

While the constitution stipulates that there must be 28 votes for a motion against the president and 10 against a cabinet minister, the committee had passed that the number of signatures in favour of a motion against the speaker must have 42 votes in favour for it to be voted on. 

This amendments comes ahead of a vote of no-confidence against parliament speaker Abdulla Maseeh, submitted with 31 signatures, and a scheduled vote against his deputy – slated for Tuesday, 11th May. 

This is the second vote against Maseeh, the first had failed under contentious circumstances.