Maldivian Vice President Ahmed Adeeb was on Thursday impeached by the Parliament overwhelmingly over an alleged attempt to assassinate President Abdulla Yameen and faces terrorism charges as lawmakers approved state of emergency in the island that has sparked concerns globally.
Sixty-one lawmakers out of the 85 present during the session voted in favour, more than the 57 required for the impeachment while the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) lawmakers abstained from voting.
Thursday's extraordinary session also saw the lawmakers approving the controversial 30-day state of emergency that Yameen declared yesterday, giving sweeping powers to security forces while suspending right to freedom of movement and assembly after arms and explosives were found near his palace.
Yameen had declared the state of emergency, saying the explosion and subsequent discovery of arms posed a threat to national security.
The parliamentarians debated on the no-confidence motion filed against Adeeb, 33, for two hours before it was put up for vote, Haveeru newspaper reported.
Adeeb, under arrest over an alleged attempt to assassinate Yameen in a speedboat blast, is the second vice president to be impeached in less than six months.
He became Vice President in July after the impeachment of his predecessor Mohamed Jameel, who had fallen out of the president's favour.
Adeeb will be charged under the recently passed tough anti-terrorism law against Maldivians sympathising with the IS group, Home Minister Umar Naseer was quoted as saying.
If found guilty Adeeb could face up to 25 years in jail.
"Now the vice president is out of office and we will charge him under the recent terrorism law," Naseer said.
Maldives recently passed a tough terrorism law aiming to deal with Maldivians sympathising with the IS group.
The declaration of emergency came ahead of a planned protest by the MDP aimed at pressurising Yameen to release its leader and former President Mohamed Nasheed from jail after a widely criticised conviction under anti-terror laws.
Yameen after declaring emergency immediately fast-tracked his deputy's impeachment by slashing to just seven the constitutionally-mandated 14 days' notice period to respond to the no-confidence motion filed against the vice president.
Adeeb was arrested on October 25 after his return from an official visit to China and taken to the police detention centre in the island of Dhoonidhoo for allegedly orchestrating the September 28 blast when President Yameen and First Lady Fathimath Ibrahim were returning home after performing Hajj.
The president escaped unhurt, but the first lady suffered a spinal fracture and is still in hospital.
However, the FBI that investigated the blast said it found no evidence that it was caused by a bomb.
Lawmakers from the ruling coalition filed the no-confidence motion against the vice president last week.
The motion was filed with the signatures of 52 parliamentarians including members from the ruling Progressive Party of Maldives, its coalition partner Maldives Development Alliance (MDA) and the now government-aligned Jumhoory Party.
The three pro-government parties in the parliament command a 67-strong majority in the parliament.
According to Constitution, the vice president will be afforded a chance to respond to the impeachment in person or writing, Haveeru reported.
The impeachment triggered reactions internationally, including from India and the US.
India today said it was "very carefully monitoring" the fast-changing political situation in Maldives.
"Maldives is a close neighbour.... It is important for us to know what is happening there. We are, of course, monitoring the developments there pertaining to State of Emergency and today's impeachment of the Vice President very very carefully," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup said.
Voicing concern over imposition of emergency in Maldives, the US asked the Maldivian government to immediately restore full constitutional freedoms and end politically-motivated prosecutions and detentions.
"The US calls on the Government of Maldives to restore immediately full constitutional freedoms to its citizens by terminating the state of emergency," State Department Spokesman John Kirby said.
Rights group Amnesty International said Yameen's declaration of a 30-day state of emergency ahead of planned anti-government protests raises the prospect of further attacks on dissent and human rights in the country.
"The declaration of a state of emergency must not be a precursor to a further crackdown on dissent or other human rights violations. The government should not use this state of emergency to silence free speech or infringe on other human rights," said Abbas Faiz, Amnesty International's Maldives Researcher.
"The Maldivian authorities have a disturbing track-record of suppressing freedom of expression and any form of opposition, which has intensified over the last two years. It is vital that authorities respect their obligations under international human rights law during this period of emergency."
The one month-long decree suspends several constitutional rights, including the right to peaceful protest, freedom of peaceful assembly, the right for Maldivians to travel to and from the country, and the right not be detained arbitrarily.
Under international law, arbitrary detention is prohibited even in times of emergency.
