Maldives begins all-party talks without the opposition
Efforts to launch talks aimed at ending the Maldives’ political crisis got off to a bizzare start tonight with representatives of President Abdulla Yameen and the ruling coalition sitting down for a first meeting without the opposition.
03 Mar 2016, 9:00 AM
Efforts to launch talks aimed at ending the Maldives’ political crisis got off to a bizzare start tonight with representatives of President Abdulla Yameen and the ruling coalition sitting down for a first meeting without the opposition.
The Maldivian Democratic Party and the Adhaalath Party insist Yameen must release jailed opposition leaders as a confidence-building measure before they join the talks.
Yameen, whose government is facing pressure to initiate dialogue, has vociferously defended the jailing of his opponents, even while insisting that intervening to secure their freedom would undermine an “independent” judiciary.
Former President Mohamed Nasheed, who is in London on government-authorised leave from prison, has called the talks “a farce.”
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