The constitution also notes that the president is required to submit a declaration on the state of emergency to the People’s Majlis, the country’s legislature, which can then approve, extend, or revoke the declaration.
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Male: Maldivian Vice President Ahmed Adeeb under arrest over an alleged attempt to assassinate President Abdulla Yameen was today impeached by the Parliament in an extraordinary session after approving the controversial 30-day state of emergency.
The impeachment motion received 61 votes in favor and none opposed in the 85-member Parliament.
Mohamed Nasheed, the country’s first democratically elected president, was ousted in 2012 following weeks of opposition protests.
It further said the measures adopted in the SoE includes temporarily suspension of freedom from restraint, assembly, movement and establishment, and right to privacy and strike.
Meanwhile, the military said Monday they found a homemade bomb in a vehicle parked near the president’s official residence and deactivated it, and days earlier, they said an arms cache was found on an island being developed as a tourist resort.
On October 1, the Maldives High Court had upheld the arrest of Vice-President Adeeb, and the next day, an improvised explosive device-like object was recovered from near the Presidential estate in Male.
On September 28, President Gayoom escaped unhurt from a blast in his speedboat.
Thursday’s impeachment of Adeeb, formerly a close ally of the president, is the second in just under four months – Yameen sacked former vice president Mohamed Jameel in July.
The declaration of a state of emergency effectively outlaws a rally by the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) planned for Friday and gives sweeping powers to police and troops to arrest anti-government activists.
“We call on the government to end the current state of emergency and to release all political prisoners, including former President Nasheed”, Britain’s minister for Asia, Hugo Swire, said in a statement. “But we also expect our partners to respect the fundamental rights of their people, including those who disagree with the government’s policies, and to uphold the basic principles of justice”.
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The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, asked to examine the scene of the boat blast, said it found “no conclusive evidence” that a bomb had exploded, raising doubts over its cause. The government, however, said the blast was an assassination attempt.
