COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) – The Maldivian president ordered the military to lock down parliament Monday in a bid to prevent lawmakers from taking part in a vote to impeach the parliamentary speaker, the country’s opposition party said, leading to clashes after opposition lawmakers stormed the compound.
Members of the armed forces padlocked the gates of parliament on orders from President Yameen Abdul Gayoom, and lawmakers “were forcibly prevented from entering the parliamentary compound,” the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party said.
Some opposition lawmakers broke through the barrier, but they were forcibly thrown out by military and police who even pepper-sprayed them, said party spokesman Hamid Abdul Ghafoor.
In a statement, the opposition party called Yameen’s action “desperate, illegal and unconstitutional.”
Maldives police said the government restricted access to the parliament building as the session was canceled and that police were asked to intervene by Maldives National Defense Force in “clearing out individuals who forcefully entered the parliament building.”