Why Maldives' new president Mohamed Muizzu is facing impeachment

For President Mohamed Muizzu, the troubles keep coming.

The Maldives Opposition is moving to impeach the president just months after he was elected.

But why is the Opposition doing so? And what about Muizzu’s other controversies?

Let’s take a closer look:

What happened?

The development comes after a parliamentary vote of approval for the Muizzu government was disrupted on Sunday and a fracas broke out in parliament.

As per News18, the brawl took place between pro-government MPs and the Opposition regarding the composition of Muizzu’s cabinet.

This, after the main Opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) decided to withhold parliamentary approval for four members of President Muizzu’s cabinet ahead of the voting on the cabinet.

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MDP, which has a majority in parliament, has decided not to vote to approve Attorney General Ahmed Usham, Minister of Housing, Land and Urban Development Dr. Ali Haidar, Minister of Islamic Affairs Dr. Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed, and Minister of Economic Development and Trade Mohamed Saeed.

The Ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) and the People’s National Congress (PNC) coalition have said that denying parliamentary approval to President Muizzu’s cabinet will be tantamount to obstructing the services the government gives to citizens.

Pro-government MPs then initiated a protest, obstructing the parliamentary sitting from proceeding, according to local media reports.

During the clash, an altercation occurred between Kanditheemu MP Abdulla Shaheem Abdul Hakeem Shaheem and Kendhikulhudhoo MP Ahmed Easa when the former tripped and knocked down Easa.

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Shaheem had also sustained injuries on his head when the two parliamentarians fell near the chamber during the scuffle.

Minority leader Moosa Siraj had attempted to stop the altercation.

Shaheem was then taken to the hospital. A video of the brawl has since gone viral on the internet.

The Opposition has since decided to begin impeachment proceedings against Muizzu.

Where do things stand?

As per News18, the MDP and another Opposition party The Democrats have enough signatures to submit a motion to impeach Muizzu.

The Maldivian Constitution states that a third of the members of the Majlis approve the resolution for the removal of the president and the reasons be thus stated.

Two-thirds of the members must then approve the resolution for the president to be impeached.

The main Opposition party of the Maldives, the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), which holds a majority in Parliament, has gathered enough signatures to submit a motion to impeach Muizzu, Maldivian local media reported.

The Sun quoted a lawmaker from the MDP as saying that the party in partnership with the Democrats has gathered signatures for an impeachment motion.

Meanwhile, Adhadhu an online news portal in the Maldives, reported that 34 members, including representatives from both the MDP and Democrats, have given their support to the motion for the impeachment of the president that was disrupted yesterday over chaos in the Maldivian parliament, according to Adhahdhu.

The Sun further reported that the MDP had decided it will deny approval to Ali Ihusan, the home minister, and Mohamed Ghassan Maumoon, the defence minister, if government lawmakers continue to disrupt the Parliament.

Meanwhile, after a skirmish between political leaders inside the Maldivian Parliament, heavy police arrangements have been made to tighten the security in the parliament ahead of today’s session, according to Adhahdhu.

In a video shared by the media outlet, police personnel were seen assembling outside the Parliament complex carrying protective shields.

However, the Opposition is yet to submit the motion.

Meanwhile, the ruling PPM-PNC coalition has filed no-confidence motions against the Parliament’s Speaker Mohamed Aslam and Deputy Speaker Ahmed Saleem, Sun.mv news website reported.

“It is absolutely unacceptable that as this was ongoing, the Parliament Speaker not only failed to intervene and put a stop to this, but actively encouraged [the altercation]. We call on the parliament to ensure the safety of MPs and to not allow unrest in the parliament,” the coalition said as per The Times of India.

The no-confidence motion also stems from the stalled cabinet approval.

The coalition has also accused Speaker Aslam of misusing his official capacity to complement the interests of a certain party, it said.

What about Muizzu’s other controversies?

This isn’t the first time Muizzu earned the Oppositon’s ire.

The pro-China leader after taking office formally requested India to withdraw its military personnel from his country.

As per The Times of India, Muizzu has demanded that India withdraw its troops from the Maldives by March.

Muizzu claimed the Maldivian people have given him a “strong mandate” to make this request to New Delhi.

He has also put under the microscope dozens of pacts that Male signed with New Delhi in recent years.

Muizzu also recently permitted a spy ship from China to dock in Male.

The vessel, the Xiang Yang Hong 03, in en route Maldives.

As per _India Today, t_he Maldives government in a statement said China made a “diplomatic request” for “rotation of personnel and replenishment.”

It added that the island nation “has always been a welcoming destination for vessels of friendly countries”.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs would like to inform that a diplomatic request was made by the Government of China to the Government of Maldives for necessary clearances to make a port call,” the statement read.

Sri Lanka refused to allow the ship to dock at one of its ports.

As per Hindustan Times, the ship is expected to dock in Male on 5 February.

India has said it is closely tracking the Chinese vessel equipped with advanced surveillance equipment.

“There have been no instances of the ship undertaking any type of research activities within the Indian EEZ. Indian Navy is aware of the presence of the ship and is monitoring it’s movement," defence sources told News18.

A row also erupted between the Maldives government and New Delhi after Prime MInister Narendra Modi put up pictures of a trip to Lakshwadweep.

Many on social media including three ministers in the Muizzu government made  disparaging remarks about Prime Minister Narendra Modi and India.

While the government suspended the three ministers and distanced itself from any such remarks, the damage has already been done with many in India calling for a boycott of the Maldives.

To make things worse for Muizzu, the MDP candidate Adam Azim in January won Male’s mayoral elections in a landslide.

Muizzu, of course, was previously mayor of Male.

Azim’s win was reported as a “landslide” against Aishath Azima Shakoor of Muizzu’s People’s National Congress (PNC).

The Opposition had earlier warned the pro-China Muizzu – who ran on an anti-India stance – that keeping such a view would work against the Maldives’ interests in the long-term.

“Alienating any development partner, and especially the country’s most long-standing ally will be extremely detrimental to the long-term development of the country,” the statement read as per NDTV.

It added that “stability and security in the Indian Ocean is vital to the stability and security of the Maldives”.

With inputs from agencies