Just after Chief Justice Willy Mutunga retired after a  five-year term on Thursday, the Commonwealth has appointed him envoy in Maldives, South Asia on Constitution and Political Transition.

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"As I exit, I have accepted an appointment as a Commonwealth special envoy to the Maldives to try and bring the country's political leadership together," Mutunga said shortly after exiting office.

According to the former CJ, he has been tasked to encourage the strengthening of democratic institutions and culture in Maldives.

Maldives political crisis began as a series of peaceful protests that broke out in the Maldives on May 1, 2011.

The crisis escalated in 2015 when the government led by President Abdulla Yameen declared a thirty-day state of emergency.

President Yameen has been under pressure from the opposition to step down.

Opposition chief Mohamed Nasheed accuses the president of running down the economy.

President Yameen on the other hand accuses the opposition of plotting a coup against his government.