Trouble in paradise: What’s happening in the Maldives?
The political crisis in the Maldives deepened this week after embattled President Abdulla Yameen declared a state of emergency and ordered the arrest of top judges and a former president. How will the latest round of political strife play out in the Indian Ocean archipelago?
What’s going on?
Yameen, who came to power in 2013, has presided over an escalating crackdown on dissent that has battered the Maldives’ reputation. He has jailed almost all the political opposition.
The Maldives was plunged into fresh chaos this week after the president refused to comply with the Supreme Court’s Thursday order to release nine dissidents and restore the seats of 12 legislators sacked for defecting from Yameen’s party. The Supreme Court ruling gives the opposition the majority in the assembly — meaning they could potentially impeach the president.
On Monday, Yameen sent soldiers to storm the court and arrest judges, with Maldives police also detaining Yameen’s estranged half-brother and former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who had sided with the main opposition. Hundreds of people gathered outside the court complex and police used pepper spray to disperse the crowds.
Where do the security forces stand?
The head of the armed forces is publicly backing Yameen. “The Maldives military will not standby and watch Maldives go in to a crisis,” military chief Ahmad Shiyam said Sunday, warning he would not obey “unlawful orders” from the Supreme Court. But as expresident Gayoom — who ruled for 30 years until 2008 elections — was led out of his house, riot police saluted him, according to the local Maldives Independent website, and analysts have warned his arrest could split the security forces as he still commands deep respect.
How did we get here?
Mohammad Nasheed became the country’s first democratically elected president in 2008 and swiftly became an international celebrity because of his urgent pleas to address climate change. He held a cabinet meeting underwater to highlight the low-lying archipelago’s plight. The country has been locked in a slow-burn political crisis since Yameen won a controversial run-off against Nasheed in 2013 presidential elections.
What about the tourists?
The tensions have already hurt the tourism industry — the largest contributor to the country’s economy — despite government assurances that visitors are safe. China — the number one source of tourists for the Maldives — and neighbouring India have already warned their nationals to defer all nonessential travel, and the UK and the US have warned their nationals to exercise caution in Male.
What happens next?
All eyes are on the security forces to see what will happen now that Gayoom is in detention, and whether further street protests will break out despite the state of emergency.