2011–2013 Maldives political crisis
The 2011–2013 Maldives political crisis began as a series of peaceful protests that broke out in the Maldives on 1 May 2011. They would continue, eventually escalating into the resignation of President Mohamed Nasheed in disputed circumstances in February 2012. Demonstrators were protesting what they considered the government's mismanagement of the economy and were calling for the ouster of President Nasheed. The main political opposition party in the country, the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (Maldivian People's Party) led by the former president of the country Maumoon Abdul Gayoom (who was in power for over 30 years under an authoritarian system) accused President Nasheed of "talking about democracy but not putting it into practice." The protests occurred during the Arab Spring.
| 2011–2012 Maldives political crisis | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | May 2011 – March 2012 (with ongoing unrest and counter-protests) | ||
| Location | Maldives | ||
| Caused by | Economic recession, low wages | ||
| Methods | Peaceful protests, civil disobedience | ||
| Resulted in | Resignation of President Mohammed Nasheed 2013 Maldivian presidential election | ||
| Parties | |||
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| Lead figures | |||
More than 100 injured, 75 seriously; 350+ arrests Many injured by the post-coup government's security reactions to the counter-protests | |||
The primary cause for the protests was rising commodity prices and a poor economic situation in the country.
The protests led to a resignation of President Mohamed Nasheed on 7 February 2012, and the Vice President Mohammed Waheed Hassan Manik was sworn as the new president of Maldives. Nasheed stated the following day that he was forced out of office at gunpoint, while Waheed supporters maintained that the transfer of power was voluntary and constitutional. A later British Commonwealth meeting concluded that it could not "determine conclusively the constitutionality of the resignation of President Nasheed", but called for an international investigation. The Maldives' National Commission of Inquiry, appointed to investigate the matter, found that there was no evidence to support Nasheed's version of events.
In April 2012, it was announced that new elections were to be held in July 2013; they eventually took place later in 2013 after several delays.