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." Maumoon runs a rival faction within the Progressive Party of Maldives, which is led by the current president, his half-brother. Yameen is accused of rolling back many of the democratic gains since the Maldives became a multi-party democracy in 2008.

Source: Bangkok Post July 24, 2017 17:15 UTC