Maldives Emergency extended by 30 days

MALE, Feb 20: The Maldives’ Parliament on Tuesday approved extending the state of Emergency by 30 days following a request by President Abdulla Yameen.

Only 38 MPs were present for the vote despite the requirement of 43 lawmakers as per the Constitution. All 38 MPs were from the ruling party, the Maldives Independent reported.

The opposition had boycotted the vote to ensure the vote could not take place, but the extension was granted anyway.

The new state of Emergency will end on March 22.

Meanwhile, the SAARC parliamentary body has expresses concern at the extension of emergency in the island country and called for rule of law to be restored in Maldives. A report from Colombo says the the Chairman of the Association of SAARC Speakers and Parliamentarians has written to Maldives Speaker raising concerns over the current political crisis in the Indian Ocean tion urging it to immediately take steps to restore normalcy and respect for the rule of law in the country.

Karu Jayasuriya, who is also the Sri Lankan Speaker, in his letter to Maldives Majlis (Parliament) Speaker Abdulla Maseeh Mohamed said that “democratic norms and parliamentary practices appeared to be in peril at this time in the country” and called for “finding peaceful solutions through dialogue.”

The ‘Colombo Gazette’ reported that Jayasuriya expressed concern over the declaration of Emergency and the arrests and the “disrespect of the Supreme Court rulings”, which he said “threaten constitutiol principles and undermine the rule of law and independence of the judiciary”.

“The recent events impact negatively on credible and inclusive pre-elections processes with the full participation of all parties in the Maldives,” Jayasuriya added in the letter.

The Maldives’ parliamentary committee on tiol security, on a request of President Abdulla Yameen, passed a resolution on Monday extending the ongoing state of Emergency by an additiol 15 days.

The President’s office said the extension was warranted “as the threat to tiol security has not diminished and the constitutiol crisis has not been resolved”.

The state of Emergency was first declared on February 5 for 15 days after the Supreme Court issued an order on February 1 to release nine high-profile political prisoners, including exiled leader Mohamed sheed, and reinstated 12 unseated legislators. (IANS)