Opposition leader Mohamed Nasheed has declared support for Jumhooree Party (JP) Leader Gasim Ibrahim as Speaker of the newly elected People’s Majlis.
Speaking to the media following a meeting with Gasim on Monday night, Nasheed said his Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) parliamentary group will make a final decision on behalf of the party.
“Our party will decide on this matter on discussion among its members, within the National Executive Council. Tonight, I met Gasim and we held discussions in a very friendly atmosphere. So I hope the outcome will be beneficial to both parties,” Nasheed said.
Gasim placed third in the 2013 presidential elections and successfully sought a revote. After Gasim placed third for a second time, Nasheed sought his backing for the second round. However, the JP decided to back Progressive Party of the Maldives’ (PPM) candidate Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom.
On its presidential win, the PPM and JP formed a coalition – the Progressive Coalition – along with two smaller parties. The coalition fielded joint candidates in the parliamentary elections in March. The PPM won 33 seats, the JP 15 and the MDP 26.
Tension has risen within the coalition on the question of which party should control the Speaker’s position.
Nasheed told the media that he agreed to support Gasim without any conditions and that there were benefits for the MDP and the JP from supporting Gasim as Speaker.
Gasim said all parties must come together and discuss over important issues in a democracy.
He told the press he will hold discussions with President Yameen to obtain backing from the PPM for his Speaker bid.
Meanwhile, former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who is also PPM’s honorary leader spoke to newspaper ‘Haveeru’ at the airport after arriving from Srilanka and said that the normal procedure followed when appointing a Speaker of the parliament in most countries was selecting someone from the party that has the most number of MPs.
Gayoom said that PPM had not decided on the issue and will hold more discussions within the party in the upcoming days.
He also said that Gasim had told him about his interest in becoming the Speaker of parliament and said that he had not agreed to it.
In March 2014, President Abdulla Yameen said that PPM will forward its own candidate for the position of speaker of the People’s Majlis.
Parliament should be an institution that “sincerely and responsibly” fulfils the duty bestowed by the public, Yameen told his supporters in speaking at a rally at the time to celebrate the Progressive Coalition’s garnering of a 53 seat majority in Majlis elections.
“For this reason, our party wants the speaker’s post in the next People’s Majlis,” he said during the rally.
Previously, local media reported PPM MP Ahmed Mahloof as saying that both he and fellow re-elected PPM MP Ahmed Nihan had pledged to support Gasim’s candidacy for speaker while negotiating during the 2013 presidential election.
Mahloof suggested that the nomination of a PPM candidate would be likely to cause a rift within the Progressive Coalition, and would be a decision he would find difficult to support
The election of the new speaker – a position that was held by the MDP’s Abdulla Shahid in the previous parliament session – is scheduled to take place through a secret ballot of MPs at the first sitting of the new session.
Majlis regulations note that the speaker “shall be the highest authority of the People’s Majlis responsible for the conduction of all matters pertaining to the People’s Majlis including the administration, the sittings and the committees of the People’s Majlis in accordance with the Constitution and the Regulations.”
The speaker is also charged with preserving “order and decorum” within the Majlis, as well as observance of the institution’s regulations.
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This is the beauty of Mordis and our politicians.
The chameleons change color and their integrity in a manner that's quite evident in all of Mordis.
Most Chinese, Indians living in countries abroad, offer helping hands to their fellow country men in need. While most Mordisians in same circumstances try all their best to ignore countrymen, so that offering help can be avoided.
Most marriage break ups are solely due to poisonous slander by neighbours.
In this case, it is a blatant attempt at sowing the seeds of discord, so that political fires get rekindled and start burning again.
Time for public entertainment again. After all, Anbara-type is not legal.
You are a pure genius Mr President! This is just what the country needs now.
The real reason of public disillusuinment with MDP is its failure to stick to principles.
To gain long term support, MDP needs to SHOW integrity by sticking to some character.
MDP has courted Qasim multiple times and have been used and abused by Qasim. However, like a woman from a red light area, MDP goes back to Qasim in the end.
Hope Qasim takes over MDP this time..
Does he has any choice?
Gasim is playing his cards well now. And people say he never learns.
If Nasheed backs Qasim, I will leave MDP. I cannot place myself as someone who supported the mockery of cancelling the election 2014..Actually Qasim bought an entire election.Which is wrong..Sore I think now is the time for me to resign from being an MDP members..I want un unbiased judiciary..Not only a plc for businessman and politicians and leaders of this country..
So MDP accepts the Judiciary too. Next Nashhed will endorse judge Ali Hameed.
May be Ali Hameed is embraced as a hero by MDP like Zaki
Ha, even when unable to win because of a compromised elections committee, ol' Nasheed sure knows how to give the enemy a headache.
Yes, the MDP will never win in an election again because the EC has been compromised, and installed with toadies of the state. So what? They can fight on. I can respect that.