Male: In the face of mounting international pressure, Mohamed Waheed has stepped down as President of the Maldives on the eve of the second round of the controversy-ridden presidential polls and left the country.
Waheed, who took office when 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.
He told the media he would pay a private visit to Singapore. Though he said he would come back to the Maldives, Waheed did not specify a return date, Haveeru portal reported.
On Wednesday, the Maldives was expelled from the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group, which is investigating the political chaos after repeated court interventions to prevent the country's presidential elections.
CMAG expressed "deep disappointment" that the Maldives presidential election process had not concluded prior to the expiry of Waheed's term in office.
India too has expressed its disappointment with the postponement of run-off polls till November 16 and said a new President should be sworn in at the earliest.
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.
Meanwhile, the European Union on Thursday warned of "appropriate measures" if the Maldives once again scuttles the presidential polls this weekend.
It also warned the popular tourist destination not to become "autocratic". EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said her grouping could regard any bid to further delay or influence the outcome of the run-off as an attempt 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 his legal mandate had endangered democracy. "This action has endangered the Maldivian people's right to elect a leader of their choice," State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki said on Monday.
The Maldives has been in a state of political flux since Nasheed was forced to resign in February 2012. 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.
