Case filed to Supreme Court, in relation to passing of secret voting for no-confidence motions

Lawyer Mohamed Waheed Ibrahim has filed a case to Supreme Court, requesting it to rule that the Parliament’s decision earlier today, to establish secret voting for no-confidence motions against the President and Vice President, was conducted against the law.

An official of Supreme Court said that the case was filed at around 2:30pm today, and that the Court has not yet made any decision on this case.

Waheed told Sun Online today in an interview that the Civil Court had ruled that Alifushi MP Mohamed Nashiz and Medhu-henveiru MP Ali Azim have decreed debts which they had failed to pay as per the Civil Court ruling in 2010; which means that according to article 73 of the Constitution, they would lose their parliament seats. Hence the amendment which was passed at the Parliament today by taking their votes into account, cannot be considered lawful.

He said that the Parliament’s decision to establish secret voting for no-confidence motions also violates article 85 of the Constitution. Article 85 states that all meetings of the Parliament and Parliament Committees must be open to public, except for when there is a compelling need to exclude the public in the interests of public order or national security.

The report sent to Parliament by the General Committee on establishing secret voting for no-confidence motions was passed today with 41 votes in favour. It was voted against by 34 MPs.

Some MPs of Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) and Jumhooree Party (JP), which are included in the government coalition, voted in favour of establishing secret voting.

The MPs of DRP who voted in favour are party leader Ahmed Thasmeen Ali, his wife Maduvvari MP Visam Ali, Alifushi MP Mohamed Nashiz, Thulusdhoo MP Rozaina Adam, Medhu-henveiru MP Ali Azim, Hithadhoo-south MP Hassan Latheef, Mathiveri MP Hussain Mohamed, and Kelaa MP Abdullah Mausoom.

MPs of JP who voted in favour are party leader Gasim Ibrahim and Abdullah Abdul Raheem.

Independent MPs who voted in favour are Velidhoo MP Ali Mohamed and Feydhoo MP Alhan Fahmy.