MDP vows to continue street protests until “coup-government topples”

A few hundred protesters continue to gather at the junction of Orchid Magu and Chaandhanee Magu despite overcast skies and frequent rain showers.  Police have set up barricades to block access to the Republican Square, the area encompassing the President’s Office, and police and military headquarters.

The MDP alleges President Mohamed Nasheed was ousted in a “coup d’état” on February 7, and has held regular marches throughout the Maldives calling for early elections.

Meanwhile, the final report of the Commission of National Inquiry (CNI) set up to probe the circumstances of the controversial transfer of power  is not expected to be complete until the end of August.  The composition of the CNI was recently revised over international concerns about the impartiality of the body.