Amid impeachment scare against President Mohamed Muizzu, Maldives government has approached the Supreme Court over the recent amendment to Parliament's standing orders which makes the impeachment process easier.
When the clashes broke out in the Parliament between the ruling and the opposing MPs, the Attorney General's office filed the case on Sunday.
The main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), which holds a majority in the Maldivian Parliament, had stalled approval of three members of President Mohamed Muizzu's cabinet paving way for a fight in the House.
Later, MDP announced that it planned to submit a motion to impeach Muizzu and that it already started gathering signatures for the same.
Initially, the row erupted when seven lawmakers resigned from Parliament in November to assume top positions in Muizzu's administration.
According to Sun.mv, an online news portal, the Elections Commission decided against holding by-elections as the parliamentary elections were scheduled for this year.
Taking advantage of the situation, the main opposition MDP amended Parliament's standing orders so that vacated seats aren't counted when determining the total number of MPs, it said.
Currently, Parliament requires 54 votes to impeach the president, instead of 58. Also, according to the amendment to the standing order, the total number of MPs is now 80, instead of 87.
The MDP and the Democrats announced an alliance to work together in the Paliament to hold the government accountable.
The MDP and Democrats, have 56 MPs between them; 43 MPs from MDP, and 13 from Democrats. MDP lawmakers are confident that the party has gathered enough signatures to file an impeachment motion.
Earlier, MDP and the Democrats had expressed concern about the pro-China Muizzu government's anti-India stance.
Opposition demands Muizzu's apology
Leader of Jumhoori Party, Gasuim Ibrahim, has urged Muizzu to formally apologise to India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and seek "diplomatic reconciliation" to mend bilateral relations.
While speaking to the media, Gasuim urged Muizzu to seek forgiveness from India for the indirect attacks made in the interview, reported the Voice Of Maldives portal.
After Muizzu's five-day visit to China, he stressed that his nation will be reducing dependence on India in various areas, including medical services.
