Mohamed Nasheed, the first democratically elected President
In the face of pressure from the world community, Mohamed Waheed has stepped down as President of the Maldives on the eve of the second round of the country's controversy-ridden presidential polls.
Waheed, who took office after the first democratically elected President, Mohamed Nasheed, resigned under duress in February 2012, had been under pressure from India and western powers to step down after his tenure ended on November 10.
Some reports suggested Waheed had left the Maldives yesterday evening for a private visit to a Southeast Asian country. He had initially decided to remain in power to oversee the selection of a replacement.
A run-off between Nasheed, who led the first round of the presidential polls on November 9, and his rival Abdulla Yameen is scheduled for tomorrow.
The current polls mark the Maldives' third attempt to elect a new President since September.
The first election on September 7 was annulled by the Supreme Court, citing the rigging of voters' lists, while the Elections Commission's attempt to hold polls on October 19 was thwarted by police after a Supreme Court ruling.
In a televised address to the nation last night, Waheed claimed his government had refused to bow down to foreign pressure and upheld the legal framework and orders of the constitutional institutions of the country.
Waheed said that after working under a legal framework that constrained the powers of the President for decades, it was only patience and compromises that paved the way for an election where three candidates were competing.
While the people might feel the government was weak, the country would not have arrived at the current stage if the government had not worked with patience and compromise, he said.
The political scene in Maldives has been in a state of flux since Nasheed was forced to resign.
India has expressed its disappointment with the postponement of run-off polls till November 16 and urged that a newly elected President of the Maldives is sworn in at the earliest.
"It is also a matter concern that as the government ends its term today, no interim arrangement acceptable to all stakeholders to run the country is in place," a statement from Indian High Commission said on Monday after Waheed declared that he will stay on until his successor is sworn in.
Meanwhile, the Commonwealth expelled the Maldives from its disciplinary panel which has begun investigating the political chaos after repeated court interventions to prevent elections.
The Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG), which can recommend the expulsion of countries from the 53-member bloc, ejected the Maldives on Wednesday during a meeting ahead of the CHOGM summit in Colombo.
CMAG expressed "deep disappointment" that the Maldives presidential election process had not concluded prior to the expiration of the President's term in office.
The European Union yesterday warned of "appropriate measures" if the Maldives once again scuttled presidential elections due this weekend and warned the honeymoon destination not to become "autocratic".
EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said the 28-member bloc could regard any bid to further delay or influence the outcome of the run-off election as intended to prevent the people of the Maldives from exercising their democratic right to choose a leader.
The US has also said that Waheed's decision to remain in office past the legal mandate of his presidency has endangered democracy in the country.
"This action has endangered the Maldivian people's right to elect a leader of their choice," State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki said on Monday.
"This action has endangered the Maldivian people's right to elect a leader of their choice," she said.
In a crucial vote on November 9, Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) chief Nasheed bagged 46.4 per cent of the votes, a marginal increase from his previous tally of 45.45 per cent votes in the September 7 polls that were annulled by the Supreme Court.
Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) leader Yameen made a significant gain of nearly five per cent over the 25.35 per cent of votes he secured in the annulled polls and managed 30.3 per cent of the votes.
Nasheed will face Yameen in the run-off to be held tomorrow.