The Maldives National Party (MNP) has said it will work to remove President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and ministers who were negligent in Maldives’ application to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Seas (ITLOS) to determine the maritime territory in between the Chagos Islands and Maldives.
ITLOS supported the Maldives while concluding the dispute between the Maldives and Mauritius on the overlapping maritime boundary issue. The verdict favored the Maldives in its claim, according 47,232 sq kilometres – the larger portion of the overlapping area- to the Maldives.
However, with the ITLOS decision on the delimitation of the disputed portion of the sea between Maldives and Chagos Archipelago, it has denied Maldives the chance to gain the continental shelf it sought at the UN in 2010.
Speaking at a rally held by MNP last night, party leader and Dhangethi constituency MP, Nazim told that party will work to remove President Solih, Foreign Minister Abdullah Shahid and Attorney General Ibrahim Rifath in Parliament.
Nazim said the action taken in the Chagos case was dangerous enough to require the President to be removed from office.
“The two ministers involved in this (Chargos case). They are Minister Abdullah Shahid and (Attorney General) Rifaat and also the President. We will work to remove them,” Nazim said.
Even if a no-confidence motion is tabled in parliament, the government has a majority in parliament. Such a motion is moved by 10 signatures of the House. Two-thirds of the votes of the House are required to pass. That’s 43 votes.
Maldives loses continental shelf case with ITLOS ruling: Dr. Munavvar
According to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas (UNCLOS), the continental shelf of a country is an extension of its land area. Each country would have the right to claim the continental shelf up to 350 nautical miles.
In 2010, Maldives submitted a proposal to the UN Committee to acquire an additional 150 nautical miles of continental shelf outside the 200 nautical miles of Maldives’ exclusive economic zone.
