President quits amid Maldives police protest
Source: Agencies |
February 8, 2012, Wednesday
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THE first democratically elected president of the Maldives resigned yesterday and was replaced by his vice president after the police and army clashed in the streets of the island nation amid protests over the arrest of a top judge.
Mohammed Waheed Hassan was sworn in as the new Maldivian president in the afternoon. Soon after, the judge was released.
In a televised address, Hassan promised to protect his predecessor Mohamed Nasheed from retribution and called for the chaos in the streets to stop.
"I urge everyone to make this a peaceful country," he said.
Nasheed's resignation marked a stunning fall for the former human rights campaigner who defeated the nation's longtime ruler in the country's first multiparty election. Nasheed was also an environmental celebrity, traveling the world to persuade governments to combat climate change.
Nasheed presented his resignation in a nationally televised address after police joined protesters and then clashed with soldiers in the streets. Some soldiers then defected to the police side.
"I don't want to hurt any Maldivian. I feel my staying on in power will only increase the problems, and it will hurt our citizens," Nasheed said. "So the best option available to me is to step down."
Maldivians waving flags poured into the streets to celebrate Nasheed's resignation. Some playfully threw water at each other.
Hassan, who went to Stanford University in California, was the first television anchor in Maldives history and the first person shown live when local TV went on the air in 1978.
He became a top education official, but eventually left under duress after getting elected to Parliament and incurring the ire of the autocratic government ruling in the 1990s, his biography said. He joined UNICEF and rose to be its representative in Afghanistan, helping rebuild schools and provide health services after the fall of the Taliban.
Hassan's office denied widespread reports that the military pressured Nasheed to resign in the wake of the clashes.
"It was not a coup at all, it was the wish of the people," said Ahmed Thoufeeg, Hassan's secretary.
An advisor for Nasheed also dismissed claims the resignation came under duress. The adviser said Nasheed was left with two choices: order a bloody military crackdown on police dissidents or resign.
The latest protests in the Indian Ocean nation known for its lavish beach resorts erupted after Nasheed ordered the military to arrest Abdulla Mohamed, chief judge of the Criminal Court. The judge had ordered the release of a government critic.
The crisis came to a head yesterday when hundreds of police demonstrated in the capital, Male, after officials ordered them to withdraw protection for government and opposition supporters protesting close to each other.
When Nasheed urged the police to end the protest, they refused and instead chanted for his resignation.
Mohammed Waheed Hassan was sworn in as the new Maldivian president in the afternoon. Soon after, the judge was released.
In a televised address, Hassan promised to protect his predecessor Mohamed Nasheed from retribution and called for the chaos in the streets to stop.
"I urge everyone to make this a peaceful country," he said.
Nasheed's resignation marked a stunning fall for the former human rights campaigner who defeated the nation's longtime ruler in the country's first multiparty election. Nasheed was also an environmental celebrity, traveling the world to persuade governments to combat climate change.
Nasheed presented his resignation in a nationally televised address after police joined protesters and then clashed with soldiers in the streets. Some soldiers then defected to the police side.
"I don't want to hurt any Maldivian. I feel my staying on in power will only increase the problems, and it will hurt our citizens," Nasheed said. "So the best option available to me is to step down."
Maldivians waving flags poured into the streets to celebrate Nasheed's resignation. Some playfully threw water at each other.
Hassan, who went to Stanford University in California, was the first television anchor in Maldives history and the first person shown live when local TV went on the air in 1978.
He became a top education official, but eventually left under duress after getting elected to Parliament and incurring the ire of the autocratic government ruling in the 1990s, his biography said. He joined UNICEF and rose to be its representative in Afghanistan, helping rebuild schools and provide health services after the fall of the Taliban.
Hassan's office denied widespread reports that the military pressured Nasheed to resign in the wake of the clashes.
"It was not a coup at all, it was the wish of the people," said Ahmed Thoufeeg, Hassan's secretary.
An advisor for Nasheed also dismissed claims the resignation came under duress. The adviser said Nasheed was left with two choices: order a bloody military crackdown on police dissidents or resign.
The latest protests in the Indian Ocean nation known for its lavish beach resorts erupted after Nasheed ordered the military to arrest Abdulla Mohamed, chief judge of the Criminal Court. The judge had ordered the release of a government critic.
The crisis came to a head yesterday when hundreds of police demonstrated in the capital, Male, after officials ordered them to withdraw protection for government and opposition supporters protesting close to each other.
When Nasheed urged the police to end the protest, they refused and instead chanted for his resignation.
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