File photo of Mohammed Waheed
Enraged by the last minute postponement of the presidential re-vote, ousted Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed today demanded the resignation of incumbent Mohammed Waheed and a caretaker government to oversee fresh polls before the November 11 deadline.
"After the first round of elections on September 7, it became clear to our opponents that they don't have the support of the people of the country, especially Dr Waheed, who ended up with five per cent of the vote," said 46-year-old Nasheed, the leader of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).
"We now feel it is impossible to have an election with Dr Waheed as president, Mohamed Nazim as Defence Minister and Abdulla Riyaz as the Commissioner of Police," he was quoted as saying by the Minivan News.
Asked whether the MDP would take part in polls without President Waheed's resignation, Nasheed replied, "If he doesn't, you can be rest assured that there won't be an election. They might announce it, but there won't be an election."
The government was pushing the Elections Commission (EC) to reschedule the elections on November 26. However, the EC chief Fuwad Thowfeek said it would take at least 21 days to re-register the tens of thousands of voters returning home after the Eid holidays.
Thowfeek, however, indicated November 9 as a possible date, just two days before the end of Waheed's presidential term.