Maldives will have two administrations if Speaker assumes presidential powers, says Adhaalath

Adhaalath Party has said that the Maldives will have two administrations if the Speaker of the Parliament Abdulla Shahid takes over the powers of the president, in the event that the country does not have a president elect by the constitutional end-of-term deadline of 11 November.

Speaking to the press inside the party’s main office this evening, Fares Maathoda MP Ibrahim Mutholib said the current government must come to an end before the Speaker of the Parliament can take over presidential powers.

“Abdulla Shahid is now preparing to take over the presidency. Maldives will have two governments if he takes oath on 11 November 2013. If Abdulla Shahid takes over before the current president resigns, it will produce two governments,” MP Mutholib said.

He also expressed concern over the recent call by the parliament to seek 100 persons with military backgrounds to handle the security of the parliament. He said the announcement stems from fear that the police and military might oppose Speaker Abdulla Shahid as he takes over the presidency on 11 November.

MP Mutholib described the parliament’s call to seek security persons as a step to established “a military government”, a step to acquire a force that would be ready to confront the State security forces if necessary. Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) is slowly taking the shape of militant organization, he said.

The MP also said the MDP and Speaker Abdulla Shahid are paving way for undue foreign influence in domestic affairs.

“All this is happening under MPD’s umbrella. In addition to being a political group, MDP is now taking the shape of a militant organization. And the MDP is using one of the three powers of the State, the parliament, to achieve this,” MP Mutholib told the media.