MDP issues three-line whip to oust Speaker Nasheed

The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP)’s parliamentary group has passed a three-line whip to vote in favor of the no-confidence motion submitted against Speaker Mohamed Nasheed.

The no-confidence motion against Nasheed – MDP’s second attempt to oust its former leader – is scheduled for Sunday.

The MDP parliamentary group convened for a meeting on Wednesday, during which they passed a three-line whip to vote in favor of the motion.

The vote was unanimous.

The party’s lawmakers also agreed they would not carry out any other parliamentary work before making a decision on the no-confidence motion.

MDP has asked their supporters to watch from the Parliament’s gallery as the no-confidence motion against Nasheed is carried out.

The MDP had originally submitted no-confidence motions against both Nasheed and Deputy Speaker Eva Abdulla earlier this year. The motion against Eva was submitted with the endorsement on 50 MPs in May, and the motion against Nasheed followed, with the endorsement of 54 MPs, in June.

But the MDP withdrew the motions in September, while the party was engaged in negotiations with the Democrats – the party to which both Nasheed and Eva belong – for the presidential runoff election.

The current motion against Nasheed was submitted with the endorsement of 49 MPs on October 9.

During an event at the ADK Hospital earlier Wednesday, Nasheed levied indirect criticism against MDP’s lawmakers.

“There’s trust one instance, and the next - it’s gone,” he said.

The MDP holds a majority at the Parliament, with 56 MPs. 43 votes are required to pass the motion.