The Maldives' foreign minister Dunya Maumoon has quit the government over its "hasty" decision to implement the death penalty which could mar the image of the country.
The resignation of Dunya, niece of the country's President Yameen Abdul Gayoom and daughter of Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who ruled the country for three decades from 1978 to 2008, comes amid reports of a power rift between the country's powerful ruling family.
In a statement released today, Dunya, 45, said, "She had decided to resign from the position of Minister of Foreign Affairs because of irreconcilable disagreements on the government's policy in implementing the death penalty in the Maldives.
"I have decided to resign from the position of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Maldives, effective from today. It was one of the most difficult decisions I had to take.
"Yet, the decision became inevitable because of the profound differences of opinion on the government's policy in implementing the death penalty at a time when serious questions are being asked, and concerns being expressed, about the delivery of justice in the Maldives."
"I remain convinced that the government's policy on death penalty, decided on a hasty fashion, would be detrimental to the image and reputation of the Maldives and would be a significant obstacle in achieving the President Yameen's foreign policy goals, and building a resilient Maldives," she said.
Maldives, an island-nation in the Indian Ocean, became a multi-party democracy in 2008.
