Secret ballot for no-confidence motions not approved

The Parliament has passed not to approve the amendment proposed to the Standing Orders to conduct voting for no-confidence motions against the President and Cabinet through secret ballots.

The amendment, proposed by Baarah MP Mohamed Shifaz, was voted in favour by 39 out of 76 MPs present at today's Parliament sitting; while 34 MPs voted against it, and two MPs abstained.

The Parliament's General Committee earlier approved to pass the amendments proposed by Shifaz to three Articles of the Standing Orders.

The amendment proposed to Article 167 (a) states that secret ballots should be taken for all motions other than the ones for which the Constitution or Parliament Procedures obligate secret ballots.

The amendment proposed to Article 173 calls for the addition of a clause to this article, to establish secret voting at the Parliament and Parliament Committees to remove the President and Vice President from office.

The amendment to Article 177 would make the vote taken in the Parliament to remove a Cabinet Minister from office, also a secret vote.

The General Committee's report was presented to the Parliament by Committee Chairman Maafannu-hulhangu MP Abdullah Abdul Raheem, which was followed by a Parliament debate on the report.

Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) member Shifaz, who proposed the amendment, said that the amendment may not be “the best”, but that he believes that it is the best “for the moment, for the nation, for the future”.