First sitting of the last session of the Parliament for 2017

MPs allege that since the motion had majority backing Speaker Maseeh had automatically lost his Speaker position

The no confidence motion on Speaker Maseeh was entered to the Parliament with 45 MPs backing the vote, though one MP withdrew his support later on

The MPs say as a no confidence motion had been tabled on Maseeh, the Parliament cannot proceed without taking the vote

Opposition MPs continue to claim Speaker Maseeh has no legal standing to conduct sessions

Parliament floor mid-session

A raised dais was erected to create a barrier between the Speaker and Parliamentarians

MP Eva Abdullah sitting in Parliament premises

Speaker Maseeh had carried out Monday’s sitting for around 15 minutes

Opposition MPs had raised their objections throughout the short session

MPs were barred from entering Parliament floor prior to Speaker Abdullah Maseeh’s arrival

Security officers were increased prior to the new sittings

Parliament sitting for the last session for this year began amid heightened security