London: Maldives was on Wednesday suspended from the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group - the most powerful panel of the Commonwealth body - following the recent developments in the country including the ousting of its democratically-elected President Mohamed Nasheed.
At its extraordinary session in London on Wednesday, the CMAG received a report from a three-member ministerial mission that visited Maldives from February 17 to ascertain the facts surrounding the transfer of power and to promote adherence to Commonwealth values and principles.
"Having considered the report of the mission and reviewed all the information made available to it, CMAG agreed that it was not possible, in the allotted time, to determine conclusively the constitutionality of the resignation of President Nasheed on February 7, 2012.
"The Group therefore agreed that an independent and impartial investigation of the events of February 6 and 7 should be completed in a transparent manner within a reasonable timeframe," it said.
The CMAG, a representative body that looks into violations of the bloc's political values, asked Maldives to hold early elections within this year and appealed to the disputing parties in the country to hold serious political dialogue.
The CMAG noted the announcement by President Waheed Hassan of a three-member commission of inquiry to probe the circumstances.
"It strongly felt that there should be international participation in any investigative mechanism, as may be mutually agreed by political parties in Maldives," it said.
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