THE Maldives’ first democratically-elected president resigned yesterday after a mutiny by police described by his office as an attempted coup, capping three weeks of political upheaval in the holiday paradise.

    Vice President Mohammed Waheed Hassan has taken an oath to be the president.

    “It will be better for the country in the current situation if I resign. I don’t want to run the country with an iron-fist. I am resigning,” President Mohamed Nasheed told a televised press conference.

    His announcement came as police officers joined anti-government protests that have rocked the capital Male for the past three weeks.

    Army spokesman Colonel Abdul Raheem Abdul Latheef said troops had used tear gas and rubber bullets in clashes with protesters and police who had gathered outside the military headquarters in Male.

    Police also took over the state television station and began broadcasting an opposition channel.

    Opposition demands for Nasheed to step down have escalated since he ordered the arrest last month of Criminal Court Chief Justice Abdulla Mohamed on charges of misconduct and favoring opposition figures.

    A delegation from the U.N. Department of Political Affairs headed by Assistant Secretary-General Oscar Fernandez-Taranco had been due to arrive tomorrow in a bid to broker a resolution to the political crisis.

    Nasheed, a former political prisoner, was elected in 2008 when the Maldives staged its first democratic presidential election, unseating the long-serving autocratic regime of Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.

    The Maldives, a country of 1,192 Indian Ocean islands scattered across the equator, is famous for its upmarket holiday resorts and hotels that are popular with honeymooning couples and affluent travelers.

    Problems, including high youth unemployment, a widespread illegal drug use, rise in Islamic fundamentalism and a downturn in tourism due to the weakening global economy, have fueled discontent about Nasheed’s rule.

    (SD-Agencies)