Making it clear that the elections would be held as per schedule in 2013, Maldives' new President Mohammed Waheed Hassan has asked ousted leader Mohammad Nasheed's MDP to join the national unity government, an offer which was turned down by the party demanding snap polls.
Fresh violence erupted in Maldives including inside the parliament that was scheduled to open on Thursday with supporters of former president Mohammed Nasheed attacking the police and preventing President Mohammed Waheed Hassan from making his opening address.
Maldives' new regime has appointed a commission to probe allegations of coup against it following President Mohammed Nasheed's ouster, Male's envoy said on Wednesday, while accusing the toppled leader's Maldivian Democratic Party of reneging on an India-brokered deal to resolve the political impasse.
The realist school of thought currently employed by Delhi, that friendships don't matter as long as national interest is taken care of, is all very well to pursue, except in this case Nasheed exemplified both friendship and national interest. After its errors of judgement on the Maldives, India's next opportunity will come only when elections are held.
Amid stepped up efforts by India to help ease the political crisis in Maldives, Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai is set to hold talks with political leaders in Male to get firsthand assessment of the situation.
Hundreds of supporters of the ousted president Mohamed Nasheed gathered outside the Majlis for a second time in the day on Sunday raising slogans against the current regime of Mohammed Waheed Hassan.
A coup has reportedly been launched in The Maldives by the opposition and rogue elements of the police. According to reports, opposition demonstrators have taken over the state broadcaster. There are also unconfirmed reports of the coup having the army's support.President Mohammed Nasheed has reportedly resigned and he may be replaced by Vice-President Mohammed Waheed Hassan. Television channels are reporting that a flash election can be expected.
After the 2007 Male bombings, the idyllic islands in Maldives have transformed in a hotbed of terror and the emergence of hardline Islam in the country has given India every reason to worry. Vicky Nanjappa reports
In its hurried recognition of the new government in Male, has India lost sight of the ground realities in Maldives?
Ousted President Mohamed Nasheed's Maldivian Democratic Party on Monday ruled out any participation in the new unity government but offered to join conditional talks with the new President to end the political crisis. In a statement, the MDP has made it clear that the party will not participate in the National Unification Government, which was formed under new President Mohamed Waheed Hassan. The MDP said that it can join the reconciliation talks to end the political crisis.
President Mohamed Waheed Hassan's brother, the Deputy High Commissioner of the Maldives to the United Kingdom, has resigned and asked his brother to follow suit, describing his new government as "illegitimate".
Maldives' ousted president Mohammed Nasheed on Saturday said he was disappointed with India over its response to the political turmoil without having properly understood the ground situation in his country.
Maldives' ousted president Mohammed Nasheed on Saturday said he was disappointed with India over its response to the political turmoil without having properly understood the ground situation in his country.
An uneasy calm prevailed on Saturday on the streets of Maldivian capital Male following days of protests and clashes in the wake of the resignation of the country's first democratically-elected President Mohamed Nasheed. Shops and businesses opened in the city on Saturday morning after remaining closed during the protests, which erupted four days ago. Areas around the Maldives National Defence Force headquarters as well as the police headquarters witnessed normal activity.
Maldives' new government has commended India for the way it dealt with the political upheaval in the country, saying New Delhi was not "fooled" by Mohamed Nasheed's claims of a coup and was "correct" in its reaction.
Refusing to give up his political ambitions despite an arrest warrant against him, 44-year-old Nasheed kept up the heat on new President Mohamed Waheed Hassan, who was his deputy just three days ago, and demanded that he step down to pave the way for fresh elections.
Ousted Maldives president Mohamed Nasheed has said he will be approaching the country's Supreme Court for justice following a coup, which he claims was engineered by then Vice President Dr Mohammed Waheed Hassan.
Democracy in Maldives is at the crossroads. There is need for the international community to put pressure on the incumbent regime in the country, so that it is not able to disrupt elections once again, and the democracy in Maldives could be saved from sinking, says Anand Kumar.
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