Why did Abdulla Yameen declare a state of emergency in 2018?

In February 2018, Abdulla Yameen declared a 45-day state of emergency in the Maldives as a direct response to a ruling by the Supreme Court that overturned the convictions of several of his political opponents.12

Following the court's decision, Yameen moved to suppress the judiciary by imprisoning two of the Supreme Court's justices. Throughout his presidency, Yameen frequently stifled political criticism and jailed his opponents, and many observers believed the state of emergency was part of a broader effort to consolidate his autocracy ahead of the presidential election scheduled for September 2018.12