Opposition says will seek president's impeachment on Chagos policy change

Some opposition lawmakers have issued warnings in the parliament on Monday to motion for the impeachment of President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih if he does not step down over the policy change to recognise Mauritius' sovereignty over Chagos archipelago. 

Opposition PNC vice-president and Maduvvari MP Adam Shareef has moved an emergency motion in the parliament, expressing concern over the government’s decision to recognise Chagos islands as part of Mauritius.

Noting that the Maldivian government's decision to vote in favour of Mauritius causes "irreparable damage to the Maldives", the MP called for:

Some lawmakers who spoke on the emergency motion, which was accepted for debate by a vote of 54 lawmakers in the ruling party-controlled parliament, also called for the president's resignation. Some members expressed concern that a decision has been taken without a word from the parliament in a case which could deprive a part of the country's economic zone.

"If you do something like this, you have to take responsibility for it. This government has lost its credibility. This is not a small issue; not a small issue. It's something that will cause a loss of trust, and the trust is lost. Therefore, I would like all the members of this honourable parliament to understand what needs to be done next," said Ahmed Zahir, MDP MP from Gaddhoo constituency.

Although he did not directly say that President Solih should be removed after a vote of no confidence, Zahir's comments were similar.

"The public is watching us. I am sure this parliament will do what the people of this country want. I believe this parliament will not betray the people," Zahir said.

"The government made a mistake thinking that with the 65 MDP members here, they could get away with doing whatever they want; that they could do anything without the people knowing. Today, the government should know that it won't happen. MPs will not give in to the government. We will do what needs to be done."

Supporting Zahir's statement, the opposition MP from Mahibadhoo constituency, Ahmed Thoriq, demanded Solih's resignation. He said the country's economic zone is defined in the constitution and it can only be amended through the parliament.

"The president and the Attorney General [Ibrahim Riffath] are traitors to this country," Thoriq said at the outset, criticising the government's decision.

Having agreed to "losing" part of the country in President Solih’s "secret letter" to the Mauritian prime minister, Thoriq questioned the very existence of the constitution.

"The president does not have the right to vote on any issue where a part of the country is lost to us. What is going on, what is going on? Even when clueless, secret letters are being signed," Thoriq said.

Referring to Zahir's remarks, Thoriq said the constitutional obligation on the members of parliament was to remove the president by holding a vote of no confidence in such situations. He advocated that this power should be exercised.

"We will take the initiative and start the work [of the president's resignation]. I would like all the honourable members of this parliament to sign a petition for the president's dismissal in the interest of this country, for the sake of these lands and seas," Thoriq said.

Vice-President of PPM, Naifaru MP Ahmed Shiyam, who debated on the emergency issue, also believes that President Solih should be held responsible on the issue.

"If this parliament is responsible, then we should have left the parliament today, holding President Solih responsible. Otherwise, we are not people who love and respect this country," Shiyam said.

Opposition Farasmathoda MP Hussain Mohamed Latheef called for an "early election" to resolve the issue.

"The government cannot get away with this. There will be a person that can be held accountable for this. If the President had done this, even if it was fraudulent or under duress, the person who coerced the President should also be held responsible. Otherwise, the President himself should take responsibility", Hussain said.

"Early elections should be allowed to put national interest first."

Some important points highlighted in the emergency motion filed by the opposition:

Apart from MDP MP Zahir, many of the ruling party representative MPs that debated the issue also criticised the government's decision.

The Attorney General's Office said on Sunday night that the decision to change the long-standing position of the Maldives on the Chagos issue and vote in favour of Mauritius in this year's UN General Assembly was a foreign policy decision, and that it was the president's prerogative and would cause no change in the Maldives' position on the ongoing maritime dispute between the Maldives and Mauritius.

Attorney General Ibrahim Riffath on Thursday had announced that the Maldives would change its stand and vote in favour of Mauritius at the United Nations tribunal during the hearing of the case filed by Mauritius before the International Tribunal for the Law of the Seas (ITLOS). While the government has assured that the decision will not affect the issue of Maldives-Mauritius sea demarcation, some have expressed concern that it will force the country to abandon a part of its economic zone.