The former president of the Maldives, Mohamed Nasheed, on Friday demanded snap elections to resolve the crisis triggered by his "forced ouster" earlier this week. He has also threatened to intensify the ongoing street protests until the new government concedes to his demand.
Speaking to reporters in capital Male on Friday, Nasheed said fresh elections "are our bottom line" and that his party members will be forced to take to the streets across the 1,200-island archipelago of 330,000 Sunni Muslims if that demand is not met.
However, the BBC quoted his successor, new Maldives President Mohammed Waheed Hassan, as saying that the current environment in the country was not conducive to hold "free and fair" elections. Noting that the next elections have already been scheduled for 2013, Hassan accused his predecessor of trying to stage a "show" for the international media.
The developments come just days after Hassan, the former vice-president, was sworn into office as president hours after Nasheed announced his resignation on Tuesday. Nasheed was the first democratically elected president of Maldives.
Nasheed's resignation came amidst mass protests against the arrest of Justice Abdulla Mohamed last month. Justice Mohamed was arrested on charges of political bias and corruption after he ordered the release of a government critic. His critics say Nasheed acted unconstitutionally while ordering the arrest of Justice Mohamed.
Nasheed announced his resignation in a nationally telecast address on Tuesday after a few dozen police officers joined the protesters and clashed with security forces on the streets. Some of the soldiers then joined the protest along side the rebellious police officers.
However, Nasheed claimed a day later that he was forced to resign at gunpoint by a group of armed rebel police and army officers. He also accused Hassan of involvement in the bloodless coup that forced him to resign. Hassan insists that Nasheed was not forced out of office by a coup as alleged.
Following his resignation, Nasheed and hundreds of his supporters staged a protest rally in Male on Wednesday to protest against what they described as the former leader's forced ouster. Police intervened after the rally reportedly turned violent, causing minor injuries to Nasheed and several of his supporters.
The former leader was admitted to hospital for treatment, and was later released. MDP activists alleged that Nasheed was intentionally beaten up by the riot police during the crackdown. The police subsequently denied such claims.
The protests then spread from the capital city to nearby islands, with Nasheed's supporters attacking several police stations. Police later alleged in a state television broadcast said the violent protests led by Nasheed were "an act of terrorism".
Although a court in Maldives issued a warrant for the arrest of Nasheed on Wednesday, he still remains free. Hassan later said that he had ordered not to carry out the warrant unless it was absolutely necessary for the former president's safety.
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