Violent protests block Maldivian parliament

MALE: Opposition MPs in the Maldives on Thursday prevented the new president, who is accused of seizing power in a coup, from opening parliament as violent protests erupted outside the building.

Opposition lawmakers grabbed the Speaker's chair amid angry scuffles, according to local reports, and stopped President Mohamed Waheed from addressing the assembly in the capital Male.

Police said 14 officers were wounded, four of them seriously, in clashes with opposition demonstrators around the parliament. At least 34 people were also arrested.

Opposition legislators carrying placards that called Waheed a “traitor” also blocked the Speaker's entrance to the building, an AFP reporter said.

The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), whose leader Mohamed Nasheed says he was ousted by Waheed in a military-led coup on February 7, had called on its supporters to stage Thursday's demonstration.

“MDP recalls that freedom of assembly is a constitutional right... and must be fully respected by the authorities,” the party said in a statement. It added that protests must be staged “peacefully and within the law.” Police sealed off roads leading to parliament in the congested capital island of Male, where more than 100,000 people live.

AFP