Council President and Vice President ousted from offices after no-confidence vote

The President and Vice President of H. Dh. Atoll Council have both been ousted from their offices in the Council in a no-confidence vote, and new members of the Council have been appointed to these posts.

The vote of no confidence was cast against Adam Waheed Ali, previous President, and Ahmed Khaleel, Vice President of H. Dh. Atoll Council was taken yesterday. Adam Waheed Ali sits in the Council to represent H. Dh. Kulhuduffushi Dhekunu constituency, while Ahmed Khaleel represents H. Dh. Vaikaradhoo constituency. Waheed is a member of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), and Ahmed Khaleel happens to be the only independent member in H. Dh. Council in which MDP holds majority.

A spokesperson from H. Dh. Atoll Council said yesterday that the motion to cast vote of no confidence was proposed by a written submission by six MDP members in the Council, and that the proposition was deliberated upon yesterday afternoon in an impromptu meeting. Those six members who brought up the motion voted against previous President and Vice President.

The spokesperson also said that Waheed was ousted from his office as Council presidency because he had not voted for the MDP candidate during the election held to choose a representative from his constituency for the Local Government Authority. Reason given for casting Khaleel out was his “failure to cooperate with the “National Institution”.

Khaleel, however, said that a vote of no confidence was filed against him because he had not voted for the MDP candidate in the Region 1 election conducted in four phases.

After the vote of no confidence, new members were elected as President and Vice President of the Council in yesterday’s meeting. MDP member Mohamed Shukoor, Kulhudhuffushi Uthuru constituency, was elected as new president, while Mohamed Qasim, also from MDP, was elected as the new Vice President.