Impeachment motion against President Muizzu by Maldive’s main opposition party MDP, he is completely becoming Pro China. “We have the numbers,” Andhun Hussein, deputy leader of the MDP parliamentary group gave the statement.
“We will not allow them any opportunities to go ahead with this. They will have to kill us all first before they can even think of removing the President from office,” PPM Parliamentary Group (PG) leader Eydhafushi constituency MP Ahmed Saleem said.
MDP (Maldivian Democratic Party) holds maximum power in Parliament with 42 seats in the 80-member Majlis, appears to have joined forces with the Democrats a breakaway faction with 13 seats, against the ruling People’s National Congress; Opposition says Muizzu is ‘alienating’ the country’s ‘most long-standing ally’ India.
Maldives Parliament turns into a three-ring circus on Sunday when MPs clash with each other before a key vote for President Mohamed Muizzu’s cabinet. The clashes occurred between MPs of the People’s National Congress (PNC), the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) the ruling alliance, and the Opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).
After the MDP and The Democrats’ parliamentary group decided to withhold parliamentary approval for four members of President Muizzu’s cabinet ahead of the voting on Sunday, the pro-government MPs from the ruling party Progressive Party of Maldives and People’s National Congress (PPM/PNC) coalition initiated a protest, obstructing the parliamentary sitting. Two MPs were injured during a brawl.
Impeachment motion against President Muizzu by opposition party MDP
When it was clear that the MDP might vote against the approval of the four members of the cabinet, President’s top Advisor Abdul Raheem Abdullah on Sunday itself had hinted that the government was expected to reinstate the Ministers and Attorney General Usham to their posts.
“Abdullah said that the President has the discretion to reinstate any cabinet member who is rejected by the Parliament to the same post,” The Press, an independent news portal said on Monday.
The Maldivian Parliament has a total of 80 members. The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has 45, followed by its ally The Democrats (DEM) with 13 members. Of the ruling coalition of PPM-PNC, the Progressive Party of the Maldives has 2 while the People’s National Congress has 13 members. There are three independents while the Jamboree Party and the Maldives Development Alliance (MDA) have two each.
Maldives : President @MMuizzu has no political legitimacy. President Muizzu has no democratic legitimacy.
Total 56 Parliamentarian ready to submit Impeachment Motion against Maldives President #MohamedMuizzu.pic.twitter.com/WGeksN3NZn
— Roy (@ijdroy_) January 30, 2024
The gathering of signatures for an impeachment motion against the President comes a day after the PPM-PNC coalition, submitted no-confidence motions against Speaker Mohamed Aslam and Deputy Speaker Ahmed Saleem — both from MDP.
The main opposition MDP, which holds a majority in the Maldivian Parliament, on Monday, said it plans to submit a motion to impeach President Mohamed Muizzu, a day after clashes broke out in the House between pro-government MPs and opposition lawmakers following differences over the approval of four members of his cabinet.
What is Impeachment?
Impeachment is a political process used to charge and remove certain government officials from office. In many countries, including the United States, impeachment is typically associated with the removal of high-ranking officials, such as the president. It is important to note that impeachment does not necessarily mean removal from office; it is the formal process of charging an official with misconduct.
In the United States, the process of impeachment is outlined in the Constitution (Article II, Section 4). The House of Representatives has the authority to impeach a federal official by bringing charges of “high crimes and misdemeanors.” If the House approves articles of impeachment by a simple majority, the case is then sent to the Senate for trial.
The Senate, acting as a court, holds a trial to determine whether the official should be removed from office. A two-thirds majority vote is required in the Senate to convict and remove the individual from office. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court presides over the Senate trial when the President is being impeached.
It’s important to emphasize that impeachment is a political process, not a criminal one. The charges in impeachment are typically related to abuse of power, violation of the law, or other serious misconduct in the performance of official duties.
The process and criteria for impeachment can vary in different countries, as it is a legal and political tool shaped by the specific legal and constitutional framework of each nation.