Maldives crisis: Emergency decree 'illegal and void', says joint Opposition

The state of emergency decree passed by the Maldivian parliament is illegal, said the Joint Opposition on Tuesday.

The opposition alleged that the Speaker bypassed the constitution to pass the emergency decree in the parliament.

"President Abdulla Yameen failed to muster the required number of votes to pass his emergency legislation. And, so Yameen has ratified and extended the emergency illegally. This state of emergency is illegal and void.

All acts undertaken with emergency powers are illegal. By entirely circumventing the constitution, President Yameen has, in effect, hijacked the entire state and is ruling the Maldives like a military dictator," Parliamentary group leader of the Joint Opposition, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih said.

In a statement, joint Maldivian opposition said, "Article 87b of the constitution stated that 43 MPs (out of 85 MPs) should be present in the parliament during voting on a matter of public compliance. Hence, a state of emergency was a matter of public compliance."