MP Eva Abdulla said that the European Parliament’s resolution on the Maldives in early October ensures that former President Mohamed Nasheed can compete in the 2018 presidential elections.
The longstanding opposition lawmaker said this while speaking in a talk-show on Raajje Television, where she added that countries in South Asia and Europe will undoubtedly pressure the government ahead of polling next year.
In reference to the parliament sittings held this week, Eva said that parliamentarians aligned with the ruling party are ‘nervous’ over their ‘dwindling power’.
“Parliament Speaker Maseeh’s ousting is imminent, but that is only one institution. Maldives has now become notorious for corruption, it is everywhere you look, and is what keeps legitimate investors out” she said.
The resolution passed on October 4th, includes clauses calling for the charges against Nasheed to be dropped, also calls on the European Union to ‘make full use of all instruments at its disposal’ in order to ensure adherence to democratic principles.
The government rejected the resolution and the Foreign Ministry was quick to release a statement accusing it of having been based on 'false information'. MP Ahmed Nihan, leader of the ruling party's parliamentary group presided over a delegation that met Martin Chungong, Secretary General of the Inter-Parliamentary Union.
"It is highly motivated by one-sided political rhetoric and contains inaccuracies, contradictions, and misrepresentations" the statement said about the resolution.
The resolution also calls on the European Union’s member states to impose ‘targeted sanctions' on individuals that are publicly known to have contributed to 'the deteriorating the political and human rights situation in the Maldives and the increasingly authoritarian rule of President Abdulla Yameen'
