The European Conservatives and Reformists Party (ECR) has strongly condemned the recent scuffle inside Maldives parliament.
In a statement, the party had condemned the events that unfolded during the parliament session on 02 June where an opposition lawmaker was directed with violence from pro-government parliamentarians.
The assault had taken place during a special session of the Maldives People's Majilis on the proposed amendments to the constitution.
Members of Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), who were in parliament were subsequently blocked from re-entering the chamber to take part in the debate, which left the floor with only ruling party MPs.
The Maldives parliament have only 9 opposition lawmakers out of the 87 elected members.
In their statement, ECR said the incident of 02 June "directly undermine much of the democractic institutional reforms undertaken in the country since 2004, as well as public confidence in the political system."
ECR further argued that the violence inside Maldives parliament had created "a climate of fear and intimidation against lawmakers of the opposition."
Earlier, on Sunday the Progressive Congress Coalition announced it had boycotted the Monday's parliamentary session in solidarity with their injured colleague.
Moreover, ECR called on the Maldives government to "launch a full and transparent investigation into the incident" and further urged the government to ensure democratic processes, good governance and human rights are respected and protected.
