India-Maldives Maldives opposition party may file impeachment motion against President Mohamed Muizzu
Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), which is the main opposition party of Maldives and holds a majority in the Parliament, has gathered enough signatures to submit a motion to impeach President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, media reports said.
A lawmaker from MDP told The Sun newspaper of Maldives that the MDP, in partnership with the Democrats, have gathered enough signatures for an impeachment motion.
The Island Nation's Parliament recently amended the standing orders to make it easier to submit an impeachment motion.
The MDP and Democrats, together, have 56 MPs between them; 43 MPs from MDP, and 13 from Democrats, The Sun reported.
The constitution, along with the Parliament’s standing orders, shows that the country's President could be impeached with 56 votes.
The move to gather signatures for an impeachment motion against the president comes a day after the ruling PPM-PNC submitted no-confidence motions against Speaker Mohamed Aslam and Deputy Speaker Ahmed Saleem – both from MDP, The Sun reported.
The motions were submitted with the endorsement of 23 lawmakers of the country.
Developments amid India-Maldives diplomatic row
A diplomatic row erupted between India and Maldives after certain Maldivian politicians, including ministers, made disparaging remarks about Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The ministers opened a verbal attack, saying that it was an attempt to divert tourists from the island country.
After India raised the issue with the Maldives, three ministers were removed from their positions on January 7.
On the following day, the Maldivian representative to India was summoned to the External Affairs Ministry, where strong reservations were conveyed over derogatory social media posts targeting PM Modi.
The comments made by Maldives' ministers have stirred discontent among Indians, leading to the cancellation of their scheduled vacations to the island nation.
Muizzu has set a March 15 deadline for India to withdraw its military personnel from the country.
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