New Maldivian President Mohammed Waheed yesterday welcomed a Commonwealth mission to investigate the ousting of his predecessor as fresh clashes broke out in the streets of the capital, Male.
Waheed agreed to a Commonwealth ministerial probe into the dramatic fall of Mohammed Nasheed, the nation’s first democratically elected leader who came to power in 2008, spokesman Masood Imad said.
“The president welcomes the Commonwealth mission,” Imad said. “Please come here and see the exact situation. We want not only the Commonwealth, but others too to come and see what really happened.”
The nine-member Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG), which deals with serious violations of the 54-nation bloc’s political values, decided on the mission after an emergency teleconference on Sunday.
The Commonwealth Secretariat said the action would “ascertain the facts surrounding the transfer of power, and to promote adherence to Commonwealth values and principles.”
The former president said he was removed in a military-backed coup and on Sunday rejected a US call for compromise and the formation of a unity government.
His Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) supporters clashed with police in the capital on Sunday night, as MDP law makers said that one of their colleagues had been arrested and tortured in the southernmost atoll of Addu.
An Agence-France Presse correspondent saw police use pepper spray to break up a group of about 200 people and arrest at least three demonstrators who shouted anti-government slogans.
Nasheed insisted that the way out of the crisis was a snap -election rather than recommending his party consider a coalition with his former deputy, who succeeded him.
“We want an election and we will campaign for it,” Nasheed told large, cheering crowds overnight on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Waheed has expanded his Cabinet to include members of the former autocratic ruler’s party, and Islamic conservatives will be appointed ministers in coming days.
Conservatives have been demanding the introduction of strict Islamic laws in the Indian Ocean nation that relies on high-end tourism.
Waheed said he was forming a coalition government to help restore stability in the Muslim country ahead of presidential elections due next year. Six members from four political parties were sworn in on Sunday as ministers.
They include the Progressive Party of the Maldives, headed by Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, the former autocratic leader who ruled for 30 years until Nasheed defeated him in the country’s first multiparty election in 2008.
Adhaalat, or the Justice Party, which wants to see the introduction of Shariah law, and several other moderate parties will also receive ministerial positions, presidential spokesman Masood Imad said.
Some slots in the Cabinet were being kept open in case Nasheed’s Maldivian Democratic Party changed its mind about joining the coalition government, he said.
The Constitution prohibits any religion other than Islam from being practiced or preached in the Maldives and specifies that it be governed according to Islamic principles. However, authorities have generally been flexible, mainly to preserve the country’s tourism industry.
OPTIMISTIC: A Philippine Air Force spokeswoman said the military believed the crew were safe and were hopeful that they and the jet would be recovered A Philippine Air Force FA-50 jet and its two-person crew are missing after flying in support of ground forces fighting communist rebels in the southern Mindanao region, a military official said yesterday. Philippine Air Force spokeswoman Colonel Consuelo Castillo said the jet was flying “over land” on the way to its target area when it went missing during a “tactical night operation in support of our ground troops.” While she declined to provide mission specifics, Philippine Army spokesman Colonel Louie Dema-ala confirmed that the missing FA-50 was part of a squadron sent “to provide air support” to troops fighting communist rebels in
PROBE: Last week, Romanian prosecutors launched a criminal investigation against presidential candidate Calin Georgescu accusing him of supporting fascist groups Tens of thousands of protesters gathered in Romania’s capital on Saturday in the latest anti-government demonstration by far-right groups after a top court canceled a presidential election in the EU country last year. Protesters converged in front of the government building in Bucharest, waving Romania’s tricolor flags and chanting slogans such as “down with the government” and “thieves.” Many expressed support for Calin Georgescu, who emerged as the frontrunner in December’s canceled election, and demanded they be resumed from the second round. George Simion, the leader of the far-right Alliance for the Unity of Romanians (AUR), which organized the protest,
ECONOMIC DISTORTION? The US commerce secretary’s remarks echoed Elon Musk’s arguments that spending by the government does not create value for the economy US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick on Sunday said that government spending could be separated from GDP reports, in response to questions about whether the spending cuts pushed by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency could possibly cause an economic downturn. “You know that governments historically have messed with GDP,” Lutnick said on Fox News Channel’s Sunday Morning Futures. “They count government spending as part of GDP. So I’m going to separate those two and make it transparent.” Doing so could potentially complicate or distort a fundamental measure of the US economy’s health. Government spending is traditionally included in the GDP because
Hundreds of people in rainbow colors gathered on Saturday in South Africa’s tourist magnet Cape Town to honor the world’s first openly gay imam, who was killed last month. Muhsin Hendricks, who ran a mosque for marginalized Muslims, was shot dead last month near the southern city of Gqeberha. “I was heartbroken. I think it’s sad especially how far we’ve come, considering how progressive South Africa has been,” attendee Keisha Jensen said. Led by motorcycle riders, the mostly young crowd walked through the streets of the coastal city, some waving placards emblazoned with Hendricks’s image and reading: “#JUSTICEFORMUHSIN.” No arrest
RSS