Parliament SG offers 4 solutions to Nasheed motion deadlock

Parliament's Secretary General Fathimath Niusha on Tuesday offered four solutions to the deadlock on the no-confidence motion against Speaker Mohamed Nasheed.

Supreme Court on Tuesday held a second hearing in the constitutional petition filed by the MDP seeking an order that the parliament should proceed with the no-confidence motion against the speaker even in the absence of the deputy speaker. 

The Democrats, who have intervened in the case, said on Tuesday that the issue should not be resolved at court.

The judges questioned about the claims that the Supreme Court did not have the jurisdiction over the matter. Following the statements made by the state, MDP and PPM-PNC, the parliament’s secretary general sought an opportunity to speak.

Fathimath Niusha said that the rules of procedure state that no further work can be done in the parliament after the no-confidence motion is presented in a parliament sitting, and the issue is considered raised only when it is referred to a legal sitting of the parliament. 

The motion has not yet been submitted to a sitting and there is no obstacle to holding ordinary sittings, she said. She also noted that the current case could be resolved through the parliament.

She outlined four ways to resolve the issue through parliament:

The Democrats, to whom Nasheed belongs, have also asked the court to rule that there is no need for the court to intervene in the matter as it can be resolved through the parliament. They also asked the court to declare that the regular sittings of the parliament can continue as there is no need to suspend other proceedings.

However, the MDP, the Attorney General's Office representing the parliament, and the PPM-PNC have also requested the court to find a solution as proposed by the MDP.