The coalition formed by the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) has said that the resolution passed at the extraordinary sitting of the parliament held today is not valid; and that if this resolution is valid, Abdulla Shahid is no longer the speaker of the parliament.

Speaking at a press conference held by the coalition at Nasandhura Palace Hotel this afternoon, PPM Parliamentary Group Member, Vilimaafannu MP Ahmed Nihan said that the resolution ‘holds no legal basis’.

He said that a vote of no-confidence against Shahid was also passed at the parliament today, following the resolution being passed by the MPs of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).

Nihan said that the no-confidence motion against Shahid was proposed by him and supported by Fares-Maathoda MP Ibrahim Muththolib.

He said that the motion was presented to the parliament by then-Parliament Secretary General Fonadhoo MP Abdul Raheem, while Gemanafushi MP Ilham Ahmed acted as the chairperson.

Speaking at the press conference, Vice President of PPM, Fonadhoo MP Abdul Raheem said that today is a sad day for the country in terms of its efforts to establish rule of law, and that today’s parliament sitting revealed that the Speaker of Parliament Abdulla Shahid is an autocrat who has no respect for the law.

The Parliament Regulation states in Article 164 (a) that voting shall be conducted in the parliament by using the designated electronic machine, and that votes can be cast to indicate ‘yes’, ‘no’, or ‘impartial’. These procedures were not observed in the parliament sitting today.

Nihan said that the Parliament Regulation clearly describes how debates and voting on motions submitted to the parliament should be conducted, and therefore, the decisions made by Speaker of Parliament Abdulla Shahid today show that he is someone who challenges the Constitution, violates regulations, and publicly attempts to destroy democracy in the Maldives.

The press conference was also attended by Vaikaradhoo MP Ali Arif and Kudahuvadhoo MP Ahmed Amir, who also severely criticised Shahid’s actions.

They described Shahid’s actions as serious crimes, committed in collaboration with MPs of MDP, and accused him of misusing his authority as the speaker of the parliament and violating the Parliament Regulation.