Eco-friendly Maldives president resigns: Mohamed Nasheed, the first democratically-elected president of the Maldives, long held a reputation as being an environmentally-focused activist and organizer who used those skills to become president in 2008, replacing Maumoon Abdul Gayoom Gayoom, who led the country for three decades. But in recent weeks, Nasheed’s power was shaken over allegations he forced out a judge who supported the opposition. On Tuesday, he resigned amid protests. ”It will be better for the country in the current situation if I resign,” Nasheed said in a news conference. “I don’t want to run the country with an iron fist.” (Photo: In an attempt to highlight global war Nasheed holds the world’s first underwater cabinet meeting in 2009. EPA photo)
Former Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed has said that he was forced to resign “at gunpoint” by police and army officers in a coup.
He said the move was planned with the knowledge of Vice-President Mohammed Waheed Hassan Manik, who has replaced him. Mr Hassan denies the claims.
Several of Mr Nasheed’s supporters were injured in clashes as riot police used tear gas and batons against demonstrators in Republic Square.
The Maldivian Democratic Party party also says that police have attacked Nasheed a day after he left office. ”We strongly condemned the violent attack by the Maldivian Police Service on President (Mohamed) Nasheed and senior officials of the MDP,” according to a statement. “President Nasheed is being beaten up as of now in an ongoing peaceful protest.” Nasheed’s resignation came amid rising controversy over his ousting of a judge. He was the country’s first democratically-elected leader.
The home minister has pledged (I will be) the first former president to spend all my life in jail. … the facts on the ground are that tomorrow I will be in jail.Maldivian president Mohamed Nasheed • Suggesting that he would be jailed shortly, days after resigning or getting forced from power. Despite word from his political party that Nasheed was beaten by police, he showed no signs of injury when he was interviewed. Despite this, word of his possible arrest certainly isn’t an empty threat — he spent years in jail under long-serving President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, and has been arrested 27 times before. The fairly tiny country of 330,000, a span of islands located in the Indian Ocean, gets many tourists, ensuring a high level of interest in the case. source (via • follow)
toxiedesigns asks: Hey it is me again. I just heard about a documentary called Kony 2012 ;) JK It is called "The Island President" about the President of Maldives and the island nation that is been eaten away by the rising sea level. Since you have way more internet present. Can you think about sharing with your followers some info about it?
» SFB says: We actually had a couple stories about this president of Maldives, Mohamed Nasheed, from about a month and a half ago. Essentially, he lost power under not-the-greatest circumstances, amid allegations he forced out a judge who supported the opposition, though he later claimed it was a “coup.” He was the first democratically-elected president in the country, and now he’s gone. Certainly the documentary is worth a mention. He’s an interesting figure — he held an underwater cabinet meeting, for pete’s sake! — no matter what happened. (In fact, the director now hopes to use the documentary as evidence Nasheed was removed in a coup.) But we’ll say the same thing with this doc we said about “Kony 2012”: Treat it like a good Wikipedia article. It’s a starting point for your research, not an end point. — Ernie @ SFB
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