Tag: parliamentary system

“President Yameen’s administration will fall in a coup,” says Nasheed

The presidential system of government in the Maldives is unstable and will result in more coup d’états, former President and opposition leader Mohamed Nasheed has said.

“The presidential system in the Maldives has not brought about a secure government. There is no doubt of coups in the Maldives. President [Abdulla] Yameen’s administration will fall in a coup. It will be overthrown,” he told Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) supporters at a rally in Malé on Sunday.

Nasheed, the first democratically elected leader in the Maldives, claims he was ousted in a coup just three years into his term in February 2012.

However, a Commonwealth backed Commission of National Inquiry  (CONI) called the transfer of power “legal and constitutional.”

The MDP subsequently expressed concern over the exclusion of key security personnel testimony while legal experts accused CONI of selectively gathering and acting upon evidence.

Nasheed said he was not suggesting the MDP would carry out the coup, but that those in power should not rule out a coup given the legitimisation of the February 2012 change of power and the Supreme Court’s silence on the matter.

“I am not by any means suggesting we will carry out a coup. The legitimate means of changing regimes has been demonstrated in 2012. The Supreme Court has demonstrated how to interpret the constitution. With that legitimacy, both ourselves and those in power, we should not rule out the possibility that another group may overthrow the government,” he said.

Nasheed once again proposed amending the constitution of the Maldives to a parliamentary system of government, especially in the aftermath of the dissolution of the ruling coalition.

Yameen’s Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM) came to power with the backing of third placed candidate Gasim Ibrahim in November’s presidential polls.

Gasim had won 23.35 percent of the vote in the first round of presidential polls last year, and his eventual backing was crucial for the PPM’s win in the second round.

The PPM had gained 29.72 percent of the vote in the first round and narrowly won the election against Nasheed with 51.39 percent.

Gasim’s Jumhooree Party (JP) support was contingent on a 35 percent stake in government and a pledge to jointly contest March parliamentary polls.

The coalition fell apart in a dispute over which party should control the Majlis speaker position. Gasim narrowly lost the vote to PPM’s Abdulla Maseeh.

Nasheed himself required the backing of the JP and a number of smaller parties to win the presidential election of 2008. The coalition led by Nasheed’s Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) also fell apart shortly after Nasheed assumed power.

Speaking to private broadcaster Raajje TV in May, Nasheed said he would work through the new parliament to amend the constitution and facilitate a transition to a parliamentary system.

“It is time for the system of governance in Maldives to be changed into a parliamentary system. When we move to a parliamentary system there won’t be any need to have a cabinet,” said Nasheed.

“The cabinet is very costly, we can cut down that as well [by moving to a parliamentary system]. What I want to say to President Maumoon is to think about how the Maldives has been governed in the past and what happened during the drafting of the constitution,” he was quoted as saying.

Speaking to Minivan News in February, Nasheed said: “Coalitions work in parliamentary systems where you can actually have ministers coming out from the parliament and therefore it’s possible to come to an arrangement. But when the cabinet is not in the parliament, an alliance doesn’t necessarily work.”

“The shuffling or the portions given to different parties are given from the cabinet, and the cabinet is a very superficial layer on the government. The actual essence is the parliament where you make the laws.”

Nasheed had raised the same issue during his presidency in July 2010 in response to difficulties in governance. At the time, Nasheed’s MDP controlled a minority in parliament while the then-opposition opposed and blocked several flagship laws.

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Nasheed proposes constitution change to parliamentary system

The Maldives constitution may have to be amended to address issues arising from the dissolution of the ruling Progressive Coalition, opposition leader and former President Mohamed Nasheed told diplomats in Colombo.

The split between Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) and the Jumhooree Party (JP) has resulted in a government lacking popular support and will ultimately harm the Maldivian public, he said.

Nasheed called for amending the system of governance from a presidential system to a parliamentary system. He has long argued coalitions could only work in a parliamentary system of government.

The PPM last week announced the dissolution of the ruling coalition after the two parties clashed over control of the speakership in the newly elected People’s Majlis. The vote saw a win for PPM’s Abdulla Maseeh against the JP’s Gasim Ibrahim.

Gasim had won 23.35 percent of the vote in the first round of presidential polls last year, and his backing was crucial for the PPM’s win in the second round. The PPM had gained 29.72 percent of the vote in the first round and narrowly won the election against Nasheed with 51.39 percent.

Nasheed himself required the backing of the JP and a number of smaller parties to win the presidential election of 2008. The coalition led by Nasheed’s Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) also fell apart shortly after Nasheed assumed power.

Speaking to private broadcaster Raajje TV last week, Nasheed said he would work through the newly elected parliament to amend the constitution and facilitate a transition to a parliamentary system.

The challenges faced in implementing the system of governance dictated by the constitution indicates that the Maldives needs a parliamentary system, Nasheed said.

He said he is ready to work with leader of the PPM and former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom as well as Gasim to change the constitution.

“It is time for the system of governance in Maldives to be changed into a parliamentary system. When we move to a parliamentary system there won’t be any need to have a cabinet,” said Nasheed.

“The cabinet is very costly, we can cut down that as well [by moving to a parliamentary system]. What I want to say to President Maumoon is to think about how the Maldives have been governed in the past and what happened during the drafting of the constitution,” he was quoted as saying.

Nasheed had raised the same issue during his presidency in July 2010, again citing difficulties in governance. At the time, Nasheed’s MDP controlled a minority in parliament while the then-opposition opposed and blocked several flagship laws.

In response, Nasheed proposed to amend the constitution to either “complete the presidential system” or move to a parliamentary system. He had declared he was ready to go for a re-election following the change if all political parties could reach an agreement on the issue.

Speaking to Minivan News in February, Nasheed said: “Coalitions work in parliamentary systems where you can actually have ministers coming out from the parliament and therefore it’s possible to come to an arrangement. But when the cabinet is not in the parliament, an alliance doesn’t necessarily work.”

“The shuffling or the portions given to different parties are given from the cabinet, and the cabinet is a very superficial layer on the government. The actual essence is the parliament where you make the laws.”

But, Ibrahim ‘Ibra’ Ismail, who was the chairman of the committee responsible for drafting the 2008 Constitution, spoke against the change today, saying the public had already voted for the presidential system in a 2007 referendum and that any change must come through public consultation rather than an agreement between political parties.

“We were unable to reach an agreement on that in 2007, so it was decided that we should go for a public referendum, to let the people decide,” Ibra said.

“The people decided on this matter directly, so I don’t think representatives can change it back. Even if they do it they should consult the public, there should be a public discussion. I don’t think changing in any other way is beneficial for the nation,” he added.

Approximately 62 percent of the public backed the presidential form of governance in 2007. At the time both the MDP and incumbent President Abdulla Yameen’s former party, the Progressive Alliance (now dissolved), supported the parliamentary system while Gayoom supported a presidential system.

While in Colombo, Nasheed met the US ambassador to the Maldives Michele J. Sison, British High Commissioner to the Maldives John Rankin, Australian High Commissioner to the Maldives Robyn Mudie and the French Ambassador to the Maldives Jean-Paul Monchau.

In addition to this he also met International Finance Corporation country manager to the Maldives Adam Sack.

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“Too little, too late”: President’s Office dismisses chances of MDP coalition

President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan has decided not to include the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) in his national unity government, his advisor Ahmed ‘Topi’ Thaufeeg has told local media.

“It is too little, too late”, said President’s Office Spokesman Masood Imad, adding, “[the MDP] remain a viable opposition.”

Immediately after his accession to the presidency, Waheed announced that he would leave some cabinet posts vacant for the MDP.

However, feeling President Waheed to have taken power illegally, the MDP refused these overtures.

After the Commission of National Inquiry (CNI) concluded that the transfer of power on February 7 did not amount to a coup, MDP Chairman ‘Reeko’ Moosa Manik attended the newly-coined ‘Leader’s Dialogue’ meeting on Sunday.

Whilst local media had reported that Moosa requested a place for the MDP in the current government, Moosa himself told Minivan News yesterday that he had only asked for clarification on the MDPs position – whether it should be considered the ruling, or the opposition party.

Responding to this argument, Masood today said: “The point here is that the MDP fails to understand is that this is not a parliamentary system, it is a presidential system.”

This constitutional problem was also included in the observations of the CNI’s international observers.

“There are tensions within the Constitution itself with a Presidential system engrafted onto a Parliamentary system which will always be problematic,” commented Sir Bruce Robertson and Professor John Packer.

MDP Spokesman Hamid Abdul Ghafoor, who described some of the observers comments as “mocking a young democracy”,  today said the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) will discuss requesting a Supreme Court ruling on its role in the government.

“We don’t know who we are in government,” said Ghafoor.

“This is a sticky problem. The CNI’s assumptions are that the government has not changed, so it is the President’s prerogative to deliver on the MDP manifesto,” he continued.

President Waheed and his Gaumee Ittihad Party (GIP) joined the former coalition government, which included the MDP, the Jumhooree Party (JP) and the Adhaalath Party, to win the 2008 elections.

The coalition, however, began to break up after only 21 days when the JP withdrew. The Adhaalath Party was the last part to withdraw from the coalition in September 2011.

Local media today reported the Adhaalath party as having publicly lauded Waheed’s decision.

Sun Online reported Deputy Leader of Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) Ibrahim Shareef as saying that the MDP ought to be allowed into the government if it adapts its policies.

Ghafoor interpreted these comments as evidence that certain leaders are “jittery”: “They want to straighten this out”.

The issue of a constitution comprising elements of both presidential and parliamentary systems was discussed by Waheed his official visit to India in May.

“You know our constitution is pretty much a cut-and-paste constitution. We have elements of parliamentary system as well as presidential system,” Waheed told the diplomatic community in New Delhi.

“The presidency is very much fashioned after presidency in the United States, and the parliament functions as a parliamentary system like in the UK. So there are issues that have to be resolved around that,” he continued.

Ghafoor also drew comparisons with the US system, arguing that after the 1974 resignation of President Richard Nixon, his Vice-President and successor Gerald Ford did not reshuffle the executive.

Referring to the MDP’s purported requests to join the current government, Masood said, “If they are allowed to join the current government now – where is democracy?”

“We are one year away from elections where we can let the Maldivian people decide,” he added.

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