MALDIVES: State of emergency declared as crisis deepens

The Maldives government has declared a state of emergency for 15 days amid a political crisis in the island nation.

The state of emergency gives security officials extra powers to arrest suspects, reports say.

The government has already suspended parliament and ordered the army to resist any moves by the Supreme Court to impeach President Abdulla Yameen.

The court had ordered the reinstatement of 12 MPs, which would see the opposition majority restored.

In a landmark decision, it also ruled the trial of ex-President Mohamed Nasheed unconstitutional.

Following the Supreme Court’s decision on Friday, the government sacked the police commissioner who had pledged to enforce the court ruling.

Opposition MP Eva Abdulla said in a statement that the state of emergency was “a desperate move” that showed the government had “lost everything [including the] confidence of the people and institutions”.