MALE: The Maldives Speaker of parliament Mohamed Nasheed resigned on Monday, days before the swearing-in of a new president following a fiercely contested election in the Indian Ocean archipelago. Parliamentary elections are not due until the second quarter of next year, meaning that president-elect Mohamed Muizzu – who takes power on Friday – will have to work with an opposition-controlled parliament.
Nasheed, who is also a former president, decided to quit from the number two position in the country to head off a no-confidence motion by ruling party legislators, a close aide said.”He didn’t want a no-trust vote against him and decided to resign,” the aide said.
Nasheed caught international attention for holding a 2009 cabinet meeting underwater to highlight the threat of global warming.