Did Maldives govt lock down parliament to avoid vote?

The Maldivian opposition said that the military locked down parliament yesterday on the orders of the country's president in a bid to prevent lawmakers from taking part in a vote to impeach parliamentary speaker Abdulla Maseeh Mohamed

Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom

The Maldivian opposition said that the military locked down parliament yesterday on the orders of the country's president in a bid to prevent lawmakers from taking part in a vote to impeach parliamentary speaker Abdulla Maseeh Mohamed.

The main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party said that on the orders of President Yameen Abdul Gayoom, members of the armed forces padlocked the gates of the parliament yesterday morning and lawmakers "were forcibly prevented from entering the parliamentary compound".

In a statement, the opposition party called Yameen's action "desperate, illegal and unconstitutional". There was no immediate comment from the government.

The opposition says the motion has gained the support of 45 lawmakers in the 85-member house. However, an uncertainty arose when the election commission announced last week that the four members who supported the motion had lost their seats because they left the ruling party.

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