60 MPs ready to vote to remove Nasheed from speakership: Aslam
Aslam said it was not right for Nasheed to refuse to chair sittings when a particular person's case was brought before the parliament.
By
Fathmath Ahmed Shareef
MDP's parliamentary group leader Mohamed Aslam said on Tuesday that speaker Mohamed Nasheed does not have the majority in the parliament and that 60 lawmakers are ready to vote in favour of the no-confidence motion filed against the speaker.
A no-confidence motion was filed against deputy speaker Eva Abdulla on May 23 with the signatures of 54 MPs. A similar no-confidence motion was moved with the signatures of 54 MPs against Nasheed on June 8. Since then, the parliament has come to a standstill after both Nasheed and Eva recused themselves from chairing sittings pending a vote on the motions.
There are some members who signed the no-confidence motion under compulsion or government influence, Nasheed told a press conference on Monday.
In response, Aslam told reporters at the parliament secretariat on Tuesday:
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The motion against Nasheed received 54 signatures in six hours
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Each member signed in person; so there is no room to accuse anybody of being influenced
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Six members who did not sign called Aslam separately and said they would vote; so, there are 60 members who will vote in parliament against Nasheed
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Two other members say they may not be able to vote because they are abroad
"[Nasheed] does not have the confidence of the parliament. The vast majority of the 87 MPs do not have the confidence in the speaker. That is the truth. It is up to him to accept it or not," Aslam said.
Nasheed had said on Monday that the government MPs filed no-confidence motions against both the speaker and deputy speaker simultaneously in order to orchestrate a deadlock. Nasheed demanded the MDP parliamentary group to withdraw one of the motions to end the deadlock.
Asked if he intended to try to start the sessions in that way, Aslam said it was "sad" to see Nasheed put up conditions to resume chairing sittings. He then referred to the family relationship between Nasheed and Eva.
"Then there is a personal issue, which is very sad indeed. I think it is something that should be considered in the future in Maldives," he said.
Nasheed and Eva are first cousins and the MDP was criticised for trying to bring two people so close to the post of speaker and deputy speaker.
Aslam said it was not right for Nasheed to refuse to chair sittings when a particular person's case was brought before the parliament.
