MDP
Row over use of UN emblem in opposition protest
The United Nations country office in the Maldives has scolded the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party for “misusing” the UN emblem during a protest this weekend.
02 Dec 2015, 9:00 AM
Tear gas fired to disperse defiant protesters – as it happened
Police have fired tear gas and used pepper spray against opposition protesters as they took to the streets for a second time today, defying a government order to confine protests to the Artificial Beach grounds in Malé.
28 Nov 2015, 9:00 AM
Police crackdown on opposition protest – as it happened
Hundreds of opposition supporters have gathered at the Artificial Beach in Malé urging President Abdulla Yameen to release all political prisoners.
27 Nov 2015, 9:00 AM
Police warns MDP to end protest by midnight
The police have warned opposition supporters to confine tomorrow’s mass protest to the Artificial Beach grounds in Malé, and threatened to disperse protesters at midnight on Friday.
26 Nov 2015, 9:00 AM
MDP, DRP sue Elections Commission
Two major political parties in the Maldives have lodged a complaint with the civil court over an Elections Commission order requiring re-registration of members with new fingerprinted forms.
23 Nov 2015, 9:00 AM
MDP hopes to exploit Yameen’s shaky hold on power on Nov 27
The MDP is hoping to capitalize on the government’s apparent shaky grip on power with a prolonged mass protest on November 27.
19 Nov 2015, 9:00 AM
Tourism tycoon MP labels opposition ‘terrorists’ over boycott call
In a tirade on the People’s Majlis floor yesterday, tourism tycoon and pro-government MP Ahmed ‘Sun Travel’ Shiyam labeled opposition MPs “traitors” and “terrorists” for allegedly calling for a tourism boycott.
18 Nov 2015, 9:00 AM
Weekly prayer for political prisoners angers Islamic Ministry
The ministry claimed in a statement yesterday that the MDP’s prayer contains ill wishes towards particular people, describing it as a “show off”. Hundreds of opposition supporters have been gathering outside the Islamic centre in Malé every week after Friday prayers since the arrest of former President Mohamed Nasheed in February.
17 Nov 2015, 9:00 AM
MDP gears up for mass protest on Nov 27
The main opposition party originally planned to hold the anti-government demonstration on November 6, but was forced to call it off after President Abdulla Yameen declared an unprecedented 30-day state of emergency and suspended the constitutional right to freedom of assembly.
14 Nov 2015, 9:00 AM
Prosecutor General’s removal draws criticism over ‘due process violations’
Nikhil Narayan from the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) told the The Maldives Independent that the “arbitrary removal” of PG Muhthaz Muhsin is the latest instance in a series of events deepening a crisis of rule of law in the Maldives.
13 Nov 2015, 9:00 AM
President Yameen lashes out at ‘bipolar’ opposition
Accusing the MDP of calling for a tourism boycott and then expressing concern over the adverse impact on the tourism industry from the unprecedented 30-day nationwide state of emergency declared last week, Yameen said: “I think the psyche or thinking of these groups is characterised by bipolarism.”
11 Nov 2015, 9:00 AM
MDP defies state of emergency with food parties
In an interview with The New York Times, Foreign Minister Dunya Maumoon acknowledged that one aim of declaring a state of emergency was to stop the MDP’s mass protest, claiming it “might lead to violence and possible use of explosive devices or weapons that we know are out there.”
08 Nov 2015, 9:00 AM
Police crash MDP ’emergency tea party,’ make arrests
At least 50 police officers today cordoned off the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party’s campaign offices and dispersed hundreds of supporters gathered for a tea party, held instead of a protest which was cancelled because of the ongoing state of emergency.
06 Nov 2015, 9:00 AM
MDP meets new police chief, discusses November 6 protest
The police had said in a statement that the acting police chief met with representatives from the MDP yesterday and asked them to reconsider plans to stage a mass protest on November 6 “given the present state of affairs in the country”.
02 Nov 2015, 9:00 AM
Missing weapons from state armoury ‘a national security failure’
President Abdulla Yameen as the commander-in-chief must bear full responsibility for weapons that went missing from the state armoury, the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has said. The military has acknowledged that a rifle and a submachine gun found in a weapons cache discovered on Friday in the lagoon of an uninhabited island in Baa atoll were from its armoury.
01 Nov 2015, 9:00 AM
Draconian anti-terrorism bill passed into law
Opposition MPs warned that the new law would restrict fundamental rights and render the penal code redundant. The “dangerous” law could be used to suppress anti-government activities and jail politicians on trumped up charges, they said. But pro-government MPs defended the legislation, insisting that it was necessary to effectively combat terrorism.
27 Oct 2015, 9:00 AM
‘Dangerous’ anti-terrorism bill fails to pass
During the final debate on the bill, ruling party MP Mohamed Musthafa said the bill was shaped to “keep MPs at gunpoint” and could be used to criminalise political rhetoric. The government-sponsored legislation was widely expected to be passed into law today, but Musthafa’s proposal to return the bill to committee was passed unanimously with 55 votes in favour.
26 Oct 2015, 9:00 AM
MDP concerned over ‘deteriorating political situation’
In the wake of Vice President Ahmed Adeeb yesterday, the main opposition party expressed concern over “the recent large deployments of security services” in Malé as well as the abrupt changes in the top leadership of the police and military and “searches of private residences by the armed forces without adequate explanation from the government.”
25 Oct 2015, 9:00 AM
Police impose restrictions on MDP’s nightly street protests
Invoking authority under the Freedom of Assembly Act, which authorises police to order protest organisers to limit gatherings to a specific area, the police said in a letter to the MDP that its protests have posed “numerous difficulties” for pedestrians, businesses and restaurants as well as for tourists staying at guesthouses and hotels in the area.
21 Oct 2015, 9:00 AM
MDP moves protest from pavement to the streets
Angered by the police’s attempts to limit protests to pavements, the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) led a march in Malé late at night, walking along streets randomly and sometimes, against the traffic last flow.
19 Oct 2015, 9:00 AM
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