In a setback to efforts to bring about a political reconciliation in Maldives, two key parties including that of former dictator Maumoon Gayoom have withdrawn from the all-party talks that were being held to chalk out the way for an early poll.
Maldives' second largest political bloc Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) and the third largest Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) of Gayoom, withdrew from the talks citing their anger over the disruption of parliament by lawmakers of former President Mohamed Nasheed's party yesterday.
The PPM's withdrawal was announced by its interim deputy leader Abdulraheem Abdulla, also an MP.
The PPM had earlier also withdrawn from the talks but had said a final decision would be taken after seeing the behaviour of Nasheed's Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) in Parliament.
The parliament witnessed unruly scenes yesterday as MDP lawmakers prevented President Mohamed Waheed from delivering the customary opening address and blocked Speaker Abdulla Shahid from entering the chamber.
Ahmed Mohamed, the present Minister of Economic Development, and deputy leader of DRP, who is representing the party in the all-party parleys told reporters last night that they are withdrawing from the reconciliation talks.
He said the party will not join the talks until the Majlis (parliament) is allowed to function.
Pro-government political parties blamed the Speaker for not acting tough on the agitating lawmakers, and not using his powers to order the removal of the unruly members.
After a chaotic day at the parliament during which the President kept waiting for the opportunity to deliver his maiden address, the Speaker cancelled the session last night.
Yesterday's protests came a day after Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai ended his two-day visit during which he held talks with various stakeholders to hammer out a solution to the political crisis here.
India had helped broker a deal under which President Waheed agreed to a roadmap for elections ahead of the scheduled November 2013 date.
No dates have been announced for elections in the island nation, where Nasheed was voted to power 2008 as their first democratically elected president.
Maldives, a nation of little over 3 lakh people, had introduced democratic elections after 30 years of autocratic rule by Gayoom ended in 2008.
The Maldives has witnessed much upheaval since last month when Nasheed, the country's first democratically elected leader, was ousted in what he claimed was a coup.