Maldives President Yameen lifts state of emergency after 45 days

Smita Sharma 

Tribune News Service 

New Delhi, March 22  

Maldives President Abdulla Yameen on Thursday lifted a 45-day state of emergency imposed amid political upheaval in the Indian Ocean island chain.

The office of Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom announced “there still exists a diminished threat to national security” but upon the advice of the security services the president decided to lift the emergency “in an effort to promote normalcy”.

The small island nation plunged into its latest political turmoil after the government clamped down emergency on February 5 and the rubber stamp Majlis or parliament approved its extension by further 30 days on February 20 to which India had expressed its “deep dismay”.

Trouble mounted in Maldives as its Supreme Court ordered all political prisoners, including exiled former President Mohamed Nasheed, to be freed and reinstatement of twelve disqualified opposition lawmakers.

Yameen took over control of democratic institutions soon after even as violent clashes erupted on the streets in capital Male between security forces and opposition workers. 

While lifting the emergency today, the government maintained its earlier argument of threat to national security.

“The announcement of a state of emergency was precipitated by a constitutional crisis created by two justices of the Supreme Court who conspired with political actors to violate both the Constitution and standard legal norms and practices in order to illegally overthrow a lawful government, and whose actions constituted an imminent threat to national security,” said an official statement.

Over the last 45 days the government in its crackdown arrested several opposition voices as well as Maumoon Gayoom, former President and half brother of incumbent president as well as chief justice and a senior judge who passed the controversial order in February.

The emergency strained ties between Maldives and India and led to severe criticism from the West, including the US, UK, France, UN and European Council among others.

Yameen though enjoyed the strong backing of China that called the emergency the “internal affairs” of the tourists’ paradise.