In a shocking turn of events, the Parliament of Maldives descended into chaos on January 28 as ruling party members and the Opposition side disrupted proceedings, leading to an ugly physical altercation among MPs during the vote on the approval of President Mohamed Muizzu's new cabinet.
The chaos began when opposition MPs, protesting against President Muizzu, were initially blocked from entering the parliamentary session.
Tensions escalated further as ruling party lawmakers attempted to prevent the Speaker from conducting the crucial session.
The opposition's protest centres around their dissatisfaction with Muizzu, who also serves as the President of the Peoples' National Congress (PNC) - Maldives.
Recently, the diplomatic tensions between the Maldives and India escalated when President Mohamed Muizzu demanded the withdrawal of Indian military personnel within 24 hours of his swearing-in.
The situation worsened with social media comments by three Maldivian ministers against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Maldives government on January 7 suspended three ministers who have come under fire for their "derogatory" remarks. And, breaking with tradition, Muizzu chose China as his first diplomatic visit.
Despite the discord, President Muizzu extended greetings to India on its 75th Republic Day, emphasizing the historic bonds of friendship and kinship between the two nations.
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