In a significant political development, the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), which commands a majority in the Maldivian Parliament, is reportedly gearing up to submit a motion for the impeachment of President Mohamed Muizzu. This move comes in the wake of tumultuous clashes that erupted in Parliament on Sunday, stemming from disagreements over the approval of four members of the pro-China President's cabinet.


According to media reports on Monday, the MDP, in collaboration with The Democrats' parliamentary group, has gathered ample signatures for an impeachment motion. However, the motion is yet to be formally submitted. Shedding light on the situation, a lawmaker from the MDP stated, "The MDP, in partnership with the Democrats, have gathered enough signatures for an impeachment motion. However, they have yet to submit it," as reported by Sun.com.


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The decision to pursue an impeachment motion was reportedly made unanimously during a parliamentary group meeting of the MDP held on Monday, as per The Edition.mv.


The parliamentary turmoil unfolded when the MDP and The Democrats' parliamentary group decided to withhold approval for four members of President Muizzu’s cabinet, prompting a protest by pro-government MPs from the ruling party Progressive Party of Maldives and People’s National Congress (PPM/PNC) coalition. The disruption led to an obstruction of the parliamentary session.


President Muizzu, 45, emerged victorious in the presidential runoff held in September last year, defeating the incumbent Ibrahim Mohamed Solih. Shortly after assuming office on November 17, President Muizzu formally requested India to withdraw 88 military personnel from the Maldives by March 15, citing a strong mandate from the Maldivian people.


The impeachment motion comes at a time when the Parliament, with 87 members, recently amended its standing orders to facilitate the submission of such motions. The MDP and Democrats collectively hold 56 seats, with 43 MPs from MDP and 13 from Democrats. According to Sun.com, "The Constitution, along with the Parliament’s standing orders, dictates that the president can be impeached with 56 votes."


This political development follows the submission of no-confidence motions against Speaker Mohamed Aslam and Deputy Speaker Ahmed Saleem, both from the MDP, by the PPM-PNC coalition, backed by 23 lawmakers. 


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