Tag: Maldives coup 2012

Parties to leaked “coup agreement” dismiss document’s authenticity

Read an English translation of the document

Download the original document in Dhivehi

Vice President of the Civil Alliance coalition of NGOs, Abdulla Mohamed, has claimed that a leaked document allegedly signed by all then-opposition political parties to commit to toppling former President Mohamed Nasheed’s government is not authentic, and that the signatures of party representatives are forged.

The document, apparently signed and sealed by the parties and the Civil Alliance, purports to be  blueprint of a plot to overthrow the government, forcing former President Nasheed to resign, and have the Supreme Court order him to remain away from politics for the rest of his life.

The document is dated December 29, 2011 and features the signatures and seals resembling those of the then-opposition parties Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), religious conservative Adhaalath Party (AP), Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP), Jumhoree Party (JP), Dhivehi Rayythunge Party (DRP), People’s Alliance (PA) and the Civil Alliance.

The unauthenticated signatures appear to include those of PPM Vice President Umar Naseer, Islamic Minister Sheikh Shaheem Ali Saeed (on behalf of the AP), Leader of the DQP Dr Hassan Saeed, Leader of the JP Gasim Ibrahim, DRP Leader Ahmed Thasmeen Ali, and Deputy Speaker of Parliament Ahmed Nazim on behalf of the PA.

“This agreement, is an agreement agreed by friendly political groups, after having come to the belief that current President Mohamed Nasheed of Galolhu Kenereege should no longer be allowed to remain as the president of this country, to completely bar Nasheed from politics and to eradicate the existence of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) who are being influenced by Christianity for the sake of the country’s future, for reasons that include: dishonoring the religion Islam and the laws of this country, openly promoting anti-Islamic mottos, refusing to enforce Islamic Sharia’, indulging in anti-Islamic activities, arbitrarily arresting political opponents, acting contempt of the courts of the law,” states the document’s introduction.

Abdulla Mohamed dismissed the document: “I swear by Allah, that I have never signed an agreement with any political parties both in my personal capacity and in my capacity as the Vice President of the Civil Alliance. Any agreement, had we made one, would have been live on television. I even have the minutes of meetings held with political parties and I will reveal them soon.”

Ahmed Thasmeen Ali, Gasim Ibrahim, Sheik Shaheem and Deputy Speaker Ahmed Nazim have all denied the validity of the document to local media.

“I helped Waheed out of the mess”: Ahmed Faiz

Former Deputy CEO of Maldives Ports Limited Ahmed Faiz – who recently defected to the MDP following his arrest for allegedly attempting to blackmail Supreme Court Justice Ali Hameed in a sex-tape scandal – told Minivan News that it would have been “really odd” for the parties to enter into such an agreement without his being a party to it.

Faiz did not dismiss the authenticity of the document, but suggested that GIP may have been deliberately sidelined from the agreement.

“When I looked into the document, one party was missing. President Mohamed Waheed Hassan’s party Gaumee Ithithaadh Party (GIP) is missing in the document. I was the one representing the party at those meetings aimed at toppling Nasheed,” said Faiz.

Faiz said he presumed that omitting the GIP from the agreement was possibly due to tensions between Waheed – who was then Vice President – and the group of opposition political parties.

“Their spirit was quite odd. They were talking during the meetings too. Firstly, they planned to oust both Nasheed and Waheed. They had grudges against Waheed after he gave a press conference as Vice President calling for the suspension of Chief Judge of the Criminal Court Abdulla Mohamed. However I talked to the opposition parties and persuaded them to exclude Waheed from the plan,” Faiz explained.

Faiz also implied that Waheed had little role during the initial stages of ousting of Nasheed’s government, and contended that a televised press conference and early morning meeting between Waheed and opposition parties a week prior to Nasheed’s ousting had just been “showing off”.

During the press conference, DRP Vice President Ibrahim Shareef “asked the Vice President to save this nation. I would like to call upon the security forces [to accept that] since the Vice President is a person elected by Maldivians, and should the President be incapacitated to perform his legal duties, the Vice President must assume the duties of the President.”

Waheed was not present at the press conference. Faiz told Minivan News, “When the idea of ousting Waheed and Nasheed began floating, I went onto VTV and invited Waheed to join the anti-government protest that had been going on against Nasheed. He got really upset and we both even had a falling out.”

‘Plot’ to oust Nasheed

According to the document, the plot to topple Nasheed’s government was to start on February 24, 2012 – 17 days earlier than the day Nasheed was toppled – following a nation-wide Islamic symposium.

It proposed that Nasheed’s presidency be ended within 24 hours from commencement of the symposium, after giving the president a five hour ultimatum to resign unconditionally.

In late January 2012, 22 days of continuous anti-government protests led by then opposition figures and religious scholars following the controversial detention of Chief Judge of the Criminal Court Abdulla Mohamed escalated into a mutiny by certain elements within the police and the military.

By midday of February 7, 2012, then-President Nasheed had exhausted all his options to establish a chain of command within the ranks of police and military, and was left trapped inside the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) barracks surrounded by rebelling police and military forces along with an angry mob of demonstrators, who had been armed by the rebelling security services.

Within a short span of time, the current Defence Minister Mohamed Nazim – who had been a civilian at the time – entered the military barracks and gave Nasheed an ultimatum to “resign or face the dire repercussions”. At the same time another group of demonstrators and rebelling security forces stormed and took control of the state broadcaster. Nasheed’s subsequent resignation at the President’s Office was aired on the swiftly re-branded Television Maldives.

Vice President Mohamed Waheed then ascended to power.

Mutiny and Vice President’s endorsement

The symposium, the document claimed, would escalate into a violent demonstration on the outskirts of Republic Square with three groups stationed at different locations.

Religious sheikhs affiliated with the movement would address the police barricading the area, and were to convince them that it was haram under Islam to obey the orders of President Nasheed in a bid to appeal for their support. Following the speeches of the religious sheikhs, politicians would take over the stage and then PPM Vice President Umar Naseer was to give the final speech.

By the end of his speech, a lieutenant colonel and a brigadier general from the MNDF would step aside from their duties and would appeal to the remaining military officers to disobey the orders of the president.

By this time, a platoon of Police’s Special Operations (SO) department would rebel against the police leadership and begin protests within Republic Square, creating a distraction that would allow more demonstrators to enter Republic Square and join the rebel police.

According to the document, by this time then Nasheed’s Defense Minister Tholhath Ibrahim Kaleyfaanu – who according to the document had pledged supported to the movement – would go on to order the MNDF to arrest the protesting police live on state broadcaster MNBC One.

Using this opportunity, the organizers of the movement, by using opposition-aligned TV station DhiTV, would propagate rumors across the country that MNDF had begun brutalising the protesting police and appeal the other police officers to join the protests to help their colleagues.

The document claimed that Nasheed’s Vice President Mohamed Waheed Hassan – the current president – had pledged his support for the movement and would take over the presidency as soon as the Supreme Court ruled that Nasheed had been incapacitated.

It also claimed that Waheed had agreed to form a national unity government with “friendly political groups”, and had agreed not to seek re-election at the conclusion of the presidential term.

Arrest of Nasheed and declaration of incapacity

By the time the demonstrations had escalated into a violent mob backed by police and military, the Special Protection Group (SPG) of the MNDF – tasked with protecting the president – would escort Nasheed to the presidential retreat of Aarah, in the name of giving him protection and security.

Shortly after Nasheed had been escorted to the island, an emergency court case would be filed at the Supreme Court requesting it to rule that Nasheed was incapable of remaining as the President, due to fear of violence and loss of the social harmony of the state as police and military were reluctant to follow his orders.

Then Vice President Mohamed Waheed Hassan would immediately take oath as the President as soon as the ruling was issued.  In an another ruling after Waheed assumed power, the Supreme Court would order the imprisonment of Nasheed and bar him from involvement in politics for the rest of his life.

According to the document, leader of the DQP and running mate of resort tycoon and JP Leader Gasim Ibrahim, Dr Hassan Saeed, and Deputy Speaker of Parliament Ahmed Nazim were lobbying the Supreme Court bench to get its support.

The document also alleged that the PPM has had agreed to have current Attorney General Aishath Azima Shukoor try to convince Chief Justice Ahmed Faiz Hussain to support the petition.

After intense negotiations, the document claimed, a green signal had been given to the movement that the Supreme Court would issue the orders as requested by them.

New government

The document claimed that shortly after Waheed Hassan assumed power, the cabinet of President Nasheed would immediately be dismissed and a new cabinet would consisting of 10 members would be appointed including PPM Vice President Umar Naseer as the Home Minister and Tholhath Ibrahim Kaleyfaanu reappointed as the Defense Minister.

Similarly, retired Colonel Mohamed Nazim was to be appointed as the Chief of Defence Force and Abdulla Riyaz appointed as the Commissioner of Police.

However, when the government of President Mohamed Waheed Hassan assumed power in February 7, 2012, the position of Home Minister was given to Dr Mohamed Jameel Ahmed and the Defense Minister position was given to retired Colonel Nazim. Brigadier General Ahmed Shiyam was appointed Chief of Defence Force while Abdulla Riyaz was appointed as the Commissioner of Police.

Dismantling and factionalising MDP

Following the change of government, the document claimed that it was highly important to divide, dismantle and factionalise the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), in a bid to weaken opposition to government.

“It has been agreed among all friendly political groups, that it is very important to influence and overtake the control of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) and the following actions have been commonly agreed to be carried out in order to dismantle the MDP’s leadership,” read the document.

The schemes to divide the MDP included backing then President of the Party, Dr Ibrahim Didi – whom the document described was politically weak and easily manipulated – while also supporting current Chairperson of MDP MP ‘Reeko’ Moosa Manik, whom the document described as susceptible to blackmailed and threats against his business interests.

The document noted that Vice President of MDP MP Alhan Fahmy was the second biggest threat in the MDP as he had the potential to reorganise it in the absence of Nasheed.

The document claimed that the movement would work on promoting Dr Didi as party’s official presidential candidate, financed by JP Leader Gasim Ibrahim.

In a bid to verify the authenticity of the document Minivan News tried contacting all parties mentioned in the document, but with the exception of Abdulla Mohamed from the Civil Alliance, no others were responding to calls at time of press.

Read an English translation of the document

Download the original document in Dhivehi

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Sacked Human Rights Minister files case in court to declare Waheed government illegitimate

A legal team led by sacked Human Rights Minister Fathimath Dhiyana Saeed has filed a case at the High Court, requesting it rule that former President Mohamed Nasheed’s resignation was obtained under duress and the transfer of power on February 7, 2012 was illegitimate.

Nasheed’s resignation followed 22 days of continuous protests backed by religious scholars, opposition leaders and mutinying police and military officers, in mid-January 2012, over the controversial detention of Chief Judge of Criminal Court Abdulla Mohamed. Nasheed’s Vice-President Mohamed Waheed Hassan subsequently ascended to power.

Following resignation, Nasheed and his Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) claimed he was forced to resign under duress and that his government was toppled in a bloodless coup d’etat.

Dhiyana Saeed, formerly a member of President Mohamed Waheed’s cabinet and one of the earliest critics of Nasheed’s decision to detain Judge Abdulla, has released a personal memoir explaining her interpretation of Waheed’s ascension to power. The former SAARC Secretary General also alleged that Nasheed’s political rivals had conspired to assassinate him.

Speaking to Minivan News, Saeed confirmed that the High Court had accepted the initial paperwork. However, a final determination to formally accept the case will be made after review of the paperwork.

According to local media, lawyers joining Saeed in the petition include Ishraq Thaufeeg and Aiminath Nazlee, both whom currently represent Saeed’s newly founded law firm, Fanandheeb Chambers.

Speaking to local media outlet Channel News Maldives, Thaufeeg said following legal reviewing of the circumstances, the firm had noticed several legal inconsistencies and lapses that suggested the transfer of power took place illegally.

He also said that public still questions the legitimacy of President Mohamed Waheed Hassan’s government, and that therefore it was important that a court of law decides on the matter.

Saeed alleged in her memoir that the controversial transfer of presidential power on February 7 was the result of a premeditated and well-orchestrated plan, and questioned the findings of the Commonwealth-backed Commission of National Inquiry (CNI), which had declared that there was no coup and Nasheed had resigned voluntarily.

Parliament’s Executive Oversight Committee’s review of of the report revealed several concerns including omission of key evidence and witness statements.

Chair of Parliament’s Executive Oversight Committee, MP Ali Waheed, claimed the August 2012 report produced by the CNI was “flawed” based on the findings of the committee.

He added that many interviewed by the committee claimed the CNI report lacked “key information they had given [the CNI panel]” while “others claimed their infmrmation was wrongly presented”.

To support its claims, the parliamentary select committee released audio recordings of all the statements given by the witnesses. These included former police and military chiefs and officers, who claimed that Nasheed had no option but to resign.

Former Chief of Defence Force Moosa Ali Jaleel was heard telling the committee that he “fully believed that President Nasheed resigned under duress”.

He added that the circumstances leading up to the resignation of former President gave rise to the fact that resignation was obtained by “illegal coercion”.

Meanwhile former Police Chief Ahmed Faseeh told the committee that police officers who gathered in Republican Square on February 7 had disobeyed orders and their actions were grossly inconsistent with the Police Act, as well as professional standards established within the police.

Former Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) Intelligence Head Brigadier General Ahmed Nilam also testified to the committee that Nasheed was ousted in a coup, claiming that events on February 7 fulfilled all the essentials of a coup.

“Academically speaking, the events on February 7 fulfilled all the essentials of a coup. It involved all the features of a coup that are widely accepted around the world. Some of the elements take place before the toppling of a president. Others take place spontaneously,” he said.

Leaked statements given by key witnesses of the events to CNI, also suggested that the transfer of power took place illegitimately.

In the transcript of the statement given to CNI by MNDF Staff Sergeant Shafraz Naeem – the commander of the riot squad of the Bandara Koshi (BK) Battalion on the day – said that he also believed that Nasheed was ousted in a coup.

“In my view this was a coup. Why? I could see it from the way they handled everything, their attitude, how cool and calm all the officers were. I could tell from how cool General Shiyam was inside the MNDF. They did nothing. This is not how a uniformed officer should behave,” he told the CNI.

Meanwhile President Nasheed told the CNI that he was forced to resign, as he believed his life was at stake on February 7 if he did not.

“In essence, my statement is very small. I was forced to resign. I resigned under duress. I was threatened. If I did not resign within a stipulated period it would endanger mine and my family’s life. I understood they were going to harm a number of other citizens, party members. They were going to literally sack the town. I felt that I had no other option, other than to resign,” he said.

On September 2012, following the release of the report, a legal analysis of the CNI’s report by a team of high-profile Sri Lankan legal professionals – including the country’s former Attorney General concluded that the report was “selective”, “flawed”, and “exceeded its mandate”.

“The report offends the fundamental tenets of natural justice, transparency and good governance, including the right to see adverse material, which undermines the salutary tenets of the Rule of Law,” observed the report.

The Sri Lankan legal team also contended that “there is evidence to demonstrate that there was in fact adequate evidence to suggest that duress (or even ‘coercion’ and/ or illegal coercion as used by CNI) is attributable to the resignation of President Nasheed.”

The CNI report dismissed this theory.

“In summary, the commission concludes that there was no illegal coercion or intimidation nor any coup d’état. The commission has received no evidence supporting or to substantiate these allegations. This disposes the main mandate of the Commission,”

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Maldives “A new kind of coup”, says President’s Special Advisor Dr Hassan Saeed, in leaked audio recording

President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan’s Special Advisor, Dr Hassan Saeed, has said in a second leaked audio clip that given the current situation in the Maldives, the change of government on February 7 was “a new kind of coup”.

In the audio clip, said to be recorded while he was speaking to the Maldivian students in the UK, Saeed states: ʺThis is how we observe coups in practice. So the Maldives [case] has become a new category of coup. You have a coup. Within twenty four hours you have the deposed President campaigning in the media with full protection.”

ʺSo, we have to add another new category of coup to the normal definition. Obviously this is different, different than the [coups] that I know of,” Saeed continues.

“The way the person who assumed power came in after the coup was different in this case. The way we treat a deposed President after a coup has also changed.”

At the end of the clip, Saeed suggests that the events of February 7 was a contribution from the Maldives to political science.

Dr Saeed and Dr Waheed’s Press Secretary, Masood Imad, had not responded to calls at time of press.

However speaking to local newspaper Haveeru, Saeed dismissed the claims that his remarks were an admission that the change of government was a coup.

“If it was a coup that was brought in the Maldives, then it is a new type of coup,” he told Haveeru.

ʺFor an example, after the coup in Pakistan, Bhutto [father of Benazir Bhutto] was hanged. After the Libya revolution, Gaddafi was killed. In Philippines, Marcos [Ferdinand] fled the country. But in the case of Maldives, I said such occurrences did not take place.

“If the change of government happened via a coup, the current president gets the protection of police and the military. Cabinet meetings are held. The President is able to meet the public. The former President gets protection. He is able to live within the people. Therefore if it was a coup, then it’s a whole new type of coup,ʺ  Saeed told Haveeru.

In another leaked audio recording yesterday, Dr Saeed described Dr Waheed as “politically the weakest person in the Maldives” with “a lot of legitimacy issues”.

Following that leak, President Waheed’s Press Secretary told Minivan News  that Dr Saeed has said he “had been played” and that the recording had been “taken out of context”.

Dr Saeed was the former Attorney General during Maumoon Abdul Gayyoom’s administration, before he resigned to contest the presidential election in 2008.

He came third in the race, but joined Mohamed Nasheed in the second round and became his special advisor after Nasheed won the presidency. He subsequently left the government and joined the opposition.

Transcript – Dr Hassan Saeed:

ʺCoup, most recently we saw the Egypt coup, Mubarak was ousted. Tunisia had a coup recently, and after that Gaddafi. If we even go further back, the case of Marcos [Ferdinand Marcos] of Philippines, he fled the country.

This is how we observe coups in practice. So the Maldives [case] has become a new category of coup. You have a coup. Within twenty four hours you have the deposed president campaign in the media with full protection.

When all these things happen, in parallel, the next president came in to power through a constitutional route. This is a unique case, which we have got to study ourselves.

So, we have to add another new category of coup to the normal definition. Obviously this is different, different than the things [coups] that I know of. This is different from the normal examples I know of.

And, the way the person who assumed power came in after the coup was different in this case. The way we treat a deposed president after a coup has also changed.

Actually, a Maldivian contribution to what type of science is this? Political science?

The thing is, this is a new case, this is a case that has to be studied.ʺ

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“This coup will not be the last word”: Mark Lynas

Ousted President Mohamed Nasheed will not stop promoting democracy and freedom of expression in the Maldives, writes Mark Lynas in UK’s Guardian newspaper.

A former climate change advisor to Nasheed, Lynas warns that governments who value democracy “should not be under illusion about what has just taken place [in the Maldives.]”

“The first democratically elected leader of a 100% Muslim country, [Nasheed] swept away the 30-year dictatorship of Maumoon Gayoom in national elections back in 2008. Now the Maldives sadly sees its spring being rolled back: a leader elected through the ballot box has just been deposed by street violence and intimidation,” writes Lynas.

Lynas suggests that progress achieved under Nasheed was the fruits of an uphill battle which included multiple arrests and even personal torture.

“The former dictator Gayoom and his forces never accepted the outcome of the 2008 elections, and their networks of power and influence were increasingly threatened by Nasheed’s campaign against corruption in the judiciary. Indeed, this crisis was sparked by the arrest of senior court judge who had repeatedly refused to prosecute corruption cases in order to protect powerful allies from the former regime. Recently the opposition had begun to use inflammatory antisemitic and jihadi hate-speech to falsely accuse Nasheed of undermining Islam,” Lynas writes.

Lynas goes on to state that Nasheed’s efforts to make the Maldives “the world’s first carbon-neutral country was typically ambitious” and had seen progress, however “all bets are now off.”

Meanwhile, environmental NGO 350.org launched a petition early this morning calling for leaders world wide to apply diplomacy to ensure the safety of Nasheed “and the Maldivian people.” The organisation has called Nasheed a leading figure in the movement against climate change.

Expressing uncertainty over the Maldives’ current trajectory, Lynas concludes, “If I know the man at all, this coup will not be the last word.”

Red more on The Guardian.

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President Waheed must form new cabinet: DRP Vice President Mavota Shareef

Islam will not be at the center of the current National Unity government’s agenda in the coming months, however judicial reform should proceed in close alignment with the constitution, opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) Deputy Leader Mavota Shareef has said.

DRP has pledged to support President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan, who was sworn in today following Mohamed Nasheed’s resignation at 1:00 this afternoon under pressure from security forces. Opposition parties have formed the National Unity government under President Waheed.

While unable to provide details of the government’s plans, Shareef emphasised a need for cohesion.

“There is so much distrust among political parties, we cannot allow for further divisions,” Shareef said, adding however that the party does not expect any serious problems to arise as the new ‘national unity’ government moves forward. “We will have to heal these wounds.”

Shareef is also a member of the 23rd December Coalition’s steering committee, which organised a protest on that date in 2011 calling for the the defence of Islam in the Maldives. Although international media has reported today’s events – described by Nasheed’s party as a military coup – as a sign of growing fundamentalism, “those values [of 23 December] are not really a central concern right now,” Shareef told Minivan News.

Opposition-led protests began on January 16 when Criminal Court Chief Judge Abdulla Mohamed was arrested by the military, after blocking his own police summons. Former President Mohamed Nasheed was criticised by the opposition for ordering the judges’ “unlawful” detention, while the government requested international legal assistance from the United Nations’ (UN) Human Rights Commission to resolve the growing judicial crisis.

That UN delegation was due to arrive in the Maldives on December 9, along with “technical expertise” from the Commonwealth. Representatives from the UK High Commission, the Commonwealth and the UN now due to arrive in the Maldives for related discussions this week.

However in a sudden shift, a detachment of police last night assisted opposition demonstrators in an attack on the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) camp. Police subsequently clashed with the Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) early this morning, triggering violent riots, an assault on the MNDF military base in Male’, and an overthrow of the state broadcasting station.

By late morning the government had declared the situation a military coup.

Stating that he would have to use military force and possibly open the Maldives to international intervention in order to stay in power, Nasheed said those terms were against his values and resigned from office.

The MDP subsequently issued a statement this evening that the opposition had taken control of the police and army, and “offered an ultimatum to President Nasheed: step down or be faced with a bloodbath in the capital. President Nasheed thus resigned in order to protect the public from further violence. His resignation was involuntary in that he had no choice.

Shortly after his swearing-in, Dr Waheed addressed the nation saying he was grateful to the police and MNDF who had made “great sacrifices” to defend the constitution.

“Today is the day the rule of law has been established in the country perfectly,” Dr Waheed said.

“I will not order the police, military or any person to do anything against the law – I promise it to the public. Everyone will have the protection of constitution and laws.”

According to the constitution, Waheed must appoint a new Vice President to be approved by Parliament. Elections may be held within six months, or Waheed may complete the remaining two years of Nasheed’s term.

Shareef said he was confident that no elections would be held, and advocated that the new President “will have to form a cabinet as soon as possible.”

Although no members of Nasheed’s cabinet have resigned, Minivan News understands that the names of 57 individuals from the cabinet and the parliament, as well as the recently replaced chiefs of police and military forces Ahmed Faseeh and Moosa Ali Jaleel and former President’s Press Secretary Mohamed Zuhair, have been forwarded to immigration for no-travel restrictions. The list is said to be growing.

Shareef believes judicial reform will continue to be at the forefront of the government’s agenda, however he said it “should be done lawfully”. Nasheed, he said, “made several mistakes. The [MDP] party called for chaos and anarchy, using well-known gangs and thugs in Male’ to lead to armed forces’ frustration,” he alleged. The government at the time made similar claims against the opposition.

“If there is an issue with the judiciary, please use legal means- such as parliament and passing new laws- to reform it. For two years we have waited for a criminal justice policy, a penal code and other amendments to be passed but they haven’t been done. Instead we’ve had three attorney generals in the last three years, and none could get those things done,” he said.

“Since we changed to a new constitution, we need supporting laws to become functional,” he added.

Minivan News inquired whether the international legal delegations would be consulted in spite of the change of power.

“Foreign expertise is necessary to enact judicial reform,” he said, noting that many laws are pending Parliament’s approval.

Opposition leaders on January 30 met with the Vice President, pledging allegiance and urging him to assume control of the executive.

Following that meeting, Vice President of the PPM Umar Naseer said all the parties in the opposition alliance had agreed to “pledge support to the Vice President.”

“After these discussions we are now calling upon the nation’s security forces, on behalf of our ‘December 23 alliance’ of all the opposition parties in the country as well as the NGO coalition, to immediately pledge their allegiance to the VP,” Naseer said.

“I repeat, all members of the December 23 alliance are now calling on the security forces to immediately pledge allegiance to Vice President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik and, as Mohamed Nasheed has violated the constitution, to not obey any of his orders and to pledge allegiance to the Vice President.”

Members of PPM could not be reached at time of press.

Reaction

UN Secretary General Ban-Ki Moon has issued a statement expressing “his strong hope that this handover of power, which has been announced as a constitutional step to avoid further violence and instability, will lead to the peaceful resolution of the political crisis that has polarised the country in recent months.”

Ki-Moon “calls on all Maldivians to refrain from violence and engage constructively in addressing the challenges their country is facing and to protect and build upon the important gains the Maldives has made in recent years in establishing democracy and rule of law.”

The Secretary-General acknowledges the important contributions of President Nasheed, the country’s first democratically-elected president, to the establishment of democracy in the Maldives and his role in raising international awareness of the dangers of climate change and rising seas. The United Nations will remain a close partner of the Maldives and will continue to extend its support in the period ahead.”=Indian High Commissioner Dynaneshwar Mulay told Minivan News that India was “in dialogue with all stakeholders n the aftermath of the day’s events.”

“All parties are committed to peace,” he said, adding that he had been “assured things are handled in a mature fashion.”

He did not comment on whether Nasheed’s government had requested or been offered Indian intervention.

The Commonwealth said it was “gravely concerned about the political and constitutional developments in Maldives.  At the request of the Chief Justice and Government, a Commonwealth Secretariat team of five officials arrived in Maldives on 6 February, to explore how the Commonwealth can respond to the country’s urgent priorities, including strengthening the judiciary and the separation of powers. The Secretariat team includes political, legal and human rights officers.

“The Commonwealth team is consulting with the full spectrum of stakeholders to assess the current situation and the Commonwealth’s possible contributions in the short, medium and long-term.

“All Commonwealth member countries have committed themselves to the Affirmation of Commonwealth Values and Principles, including a commitment to constitutional democracy, peace, the rule of law, and human rights.

“The Commonwealth stands ready to continue to support Maldives to uphold its constitution, strengthen its institutions and reinforce the culture of democracy. We urge all to respect the rule of law and the constitution, and to refrain from acts of violence.”

Travel warnings

Several countries have issued travel warnings for Male’ after today’s surge in political turmoil.

The UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth advised against “all but essential travel to Male’ island. There are political demonstrations in the capital Malé, which have resulted in violent clashes between government and opposition supporters, and later the police and defence forces. The situation remains uncertain. If you are in Malé, or choose to travel to Malé, you should exercise caution, avoid demonstrations and beware of spontaneous gatherings.”

There are currently no reports of social unrest or demonstrations at Malé International Airport, or at the tourist resorts and other islands, the FCO said, asking tourists to check the situation with travel and tour operators.

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