Maldives president says he was forced out

Ousted Maldives president Mohamed Nasheed is calling for fresh elections, saying he was forced to resign at gunpoint, as a UN special envoy meets with him and his successor to resolve the political stalemate in the Indian Ocean story.

Turmoil in the Maldives escalated sharply on Tuesday when Nasheed announced he was resigning after months of protests against his rule and fading support from the police and the army. But the next day Nasheed - who now faces an arrest warrant - announced he had actually been pushed from power at gunpoint.

The current president, Mohammed Waheed Hassan, insists Nasheed stepped down voluntarily. His government has made no move to arrest Nasheed, who is living openly in his home in Male, the capital.

Nasheed, who became the Maldives' first democratically elected president in 2008, is now calling for early elections, insisting his party would emerge victorious. He signalled that he intended to continue fighting, telling a meeting of his senior party workers that Waheed should resign.

"He must step down and then the speaker of the majlis (parliament) can hold elections within two months," he told thousands of cheering supporters late on Thursday who then dispersed peacefully.

Nasheed, a former pro-democracy activist and famed climate change activist, has accused of Waheed of being party to the conspiracy to overthrow him.

While the two politicians remain at odds, there has been no sign of violence in the country since Wednesday. On Friday, the first day of the country's weekend, there was little extra security to be seen in Male, though a few dozen policemen in riot gear were posted outside Nasheed's house.

UN Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Oscar Fernandez-Taranco was to meet with both Nasheed and Waheed, as well as other top political leaders on Friday.

"In this atmosphere it is very difficult for any meaningful and national form of discussion. I therefore request all political actors to remain calm and prevent any type of violence," Fernandez-Taranco told reporters after his Thursday arrival.

Three weeks of opposition-led protests were capped on Tuesday by a police mutiny that led to Nasheed's dramatic resignation, which he said was "forced" when armed rebel officers threatened him with violence unless he stepped down.

After his resignation, thousands of Nasheed's supporters swept into the streets of Male, clashing with security forces, while others attacked police stations in remote parts of this 1200-island archipelago.

Supporters of Nasheed on Friday vowed to resist the new government and bring him back to power, claiming he was forced to resign at gunpoint.

"We will show our strength in parliament and carry on the struggle until President Nasheed is restored back as president," former foreign minister Ahmed Naseem told DPA by telephone on Friday.

He said Nasheed's stepping down on Tuesday in favour of Waheed was a "forcible resignation".

"We maintain it was nothing but a coup and are telling the international community to pay attention to this."

Naseem said supporters of Nasheed's Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) have been arrested and harassed in large numbers since the resignation.

"This is happening in the remote islands. They are being taken into custody without charges and harassed," he said.

On Thursday, warrants were issued for the arrests of the former president and former minister Tholhath Ibrahim Kaleyfaanu, but these had not been implemented as of Friday.

The authorities have not yet announced the grounds for Nasheed's arrest warrant, and police officials have said it is not clear if the warrant was constitutional.

Thousands of MDP supporters have rallied round Nasheed's residence to prevent his arrest.

Waheed, who was Nasheed's vice president, has denied claims of a plot to oust Nasheed and called for a unity coalition to be formed to help the country recover.

In a statement, Waheed called on citizens to "unite and work diligently to uphold the sovereignty of the constitution and restore the rule of law in the country".

He also said all public services would continue, and that he would appoint a multiparty cabinet.

On Thursday, Waheed met with United Nations representative Andrew Cox and reiterated his commitment to the rule of law and the constitution, the statement from the president's office said.

In Sri Lanka, President Mahinda Rajapaksa has ordered the police to provide additional security to Nasheed's wife and two daughters, who have fled to Colombo for their safety.

In Colombo supporters of the MDP were due to demonstrate outside the Maldivian embassy on Friday.

Nasheed's resignation marked a stunning fall for the former human rights campaigner who had been jailed for his activism under the 30-year rule of Maumoon Abdul Gayoom. Nasheed also became an environmental celebrity for urging global action against climate change, warning that rising sea levels would inundate his archipelago nation.

Over the past year, Nasheed was battered by protests over soaring prices and demands for more religiously conservative policies. Last month, Nasheed's government arrested the nation's top criminal court judge for freeing a government critic and refused to release him as protests grew.

If the turmoil continues, the dispute threatens the crucial tourism industry of this mostly Muslim nation of 300,000 people, which relies on dozens of high-end resorts that cater to the rich and famous.