Pres can't fire party reps in govt posts: Nasheed
JP leader Gasim Ibrahim has said that he believes the coalition will last until November and those in positions will not be sacked.
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Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) president Mohamed Nasheed said on Thursday that those holding government positions should not resign from their posts and President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih cannot remove them either.
Amid a major controversy over those who do not support the government occupying key positions in the government, Nasheed's faction began working with Jumhooree Party (JP) on Wednesday night to prepare a manifesto.
Former MDP Chairperson and Henveiru West MP Hassan Latheef and CEO and Managing Director of STO, Hussain Amr were present as Nasheed's representatives at the meeting held at the Jumhooree Party headquarters, M. Kunuz on Wednesday night.
While holding such a position, there have been calls from some quarters for Amr’s removal as he has gained support for Nasheed's faction and acted as a representative of Nasheed.
Nasheed responded to the comments on his unofficial Twitter account on Thursday.
"Government posts are not given by the president's favor. Those who have been nominated by MDP are in office. They don't have to resign. The president can't even dismiss them," Nasheed tweeted.
He also said that those who did not support Solih in the government were "not going to sacrifice themselves because they would lose their jobs".
Even if Nasheed says so, the president's powers under Article 115(l) of the Constitution include:
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Appointments to the posts required to discharge the duties of the Council of Ministers and the President
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Removal of persons from these posts and acceptance of their resignation
Nasheed, who lost to President Solih in the primary held in January to field a candidate for this year's presidential election, is currently trying to form a separate faction within MDP called 'Fikuregge Dhirun'.
With Nasheed's faction joining hands with JP in this year's election, questions are also being raised about what will happen to those in slots reserved for JP members under the coalition agreement.
While supporters of President Solih have been calling for their resignation, JP leader Gasim Ibrahim has said that he believes the coalition will last until November and those in positions will not be sacked.
However, president Solih recently said that he would terminate the coalition agreement if there was a situation where the coalition could not move forward together.
