MDP files no-confidence motion against economic minister

The main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has filed a no-confidence motion with the Parliament against Economic Minister Mohamed Saeed.

The motion, filed by all 13 lawmakers who represent the MDP in the ruling People’s National Congress (PNC)-dominated Parliament, accused Saeed of dereliction of duty.

The party raised six main points, accusing him of blatant violation of the Constitution in the discharge of his duties, negligence in answering to the Parliament, and engaging in acts prohibited of cabinet ministers.

The MDP blamed Saeed for failure to implement sufficient economic reforms, resulting in a shortage of US dollars, pushing the black-market rate above MVR 21.

The party alleged that instead of working to resolve the issue, Saeed acted dismissive and called the USD crunch something “natural”, undermining the seriousness of the matter.

“In addition to this, the minister vowed to lower the dollar rate once they secured a supermajority of the Parliament, and mislead the public,” reads the motion.

The MDP also expressed concern that the severe bottleneck at the Male’ Commercial Port has further increased the inflation rate, resulting in a huge burden on ordinary citizens.

Secondly, the MDP accused Saeed of failure to properly manage state assets and funds, spending on holding investment forums overseas and launching projects, but failing to provide any details regarding the expenses incurred or the investments the forums brought in.

The party specifically highlighted on the Development Bank of Maldives launched in 2024, which has yet to be operationalized but incurred MVR 6.65 million in expenses as of March 2025.

“…This is a clear example of wastage of state funds,” reads the motion.

The MDP also said that while diversifying the economy and reducing dependency on tourism is one of the main objectives of the Special Economic Zone Act, the incumbent administration had amended the law in a manner that is detrimental to the state.

The party alleged that the township initiatives, in particular, concede state’s sovereignty over certain areas to foreign parties, and provide major tax concessions.

The MDP also alleged that major projects announced by the incumbent administration remain stalled and have failed to generate sufficient revenue.

Additional allegations against Saeed include failure to protect local businesses, and failure to properly answer to the Parliament.