MDP's "Fikurrege Dhirun" members face removal from parliamentary committees

The Maldivian Democratic Party's (MDP) Parliamentary Group has proposed removing members belonging to the "Fikurrege Dhirun" faction, led by Parliament Speaker Mohamed Nasheed, from parliamentary committees.

MDP's parliamentary group convened on Tuesday to discuss the matter filed by the group's chief whip, North Thinadhoo MP Abdul Mughni. However, no decision had been taken regarding the matter yet.

"We cannot come to a decision in one or two meetings. A decision will be taken after further discussions in the future," Mughni told Mihaaru news.

Due to differences in political opinion, two factions have been formed within the MDP, with most members siding with President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih. The MDP, which holds a majority in the parliament, has 68 members; of these, 12 are from Nasheed's faction.

Speaking to Mihaaru, MP Mughni said that these members cannot form a separate parliamentary group and still be in the parliamentary committees representing MDP. He referred to the pro-Nasheed members' meeting, where they decided to support Jumhooree Party (JP) leader Qasim Ibrahim in the upcoming presidential election.

The "Fikurrege Dhirun" (which means "reviving an ideology" in Dhivehi) members held meetings late last month with JP regarding the upcoming presidential election. A lot of MDP members were dissatisfied with this move as the party had already elected incumbent President Solih as its presidential candidate.

MP Mughni said there are rules to be followed by the members representing MDP in the committees. He requested that the matter be looked into due to regulatory violations.

He requested that action be taken according to parliamentary regulations, which stipulate that a party must notify the Speaker in writing if it wishes to appoint another member of its party in place of a committee member. If a member objects to the transfer, the parliament's administration will confirm whether the majority of the parliamentary group of the party has decided to transfer the member from a committee and then notify the leaders of the parliamentary groups of political parties.

Members of the "Fikurrege Dhirun" faction have openly turned against the government and announced that they will not support the MDP candidate in the upcoming presidential election.