101 East

Coup on the Coral Islands?

101 East speaks to the new president of the Maldives and asks if the country could slide back into dictatorship.

The Maldives has seen its first democratically-elected president, Mohamad Nasheed, resign amid rumours of a coup.

It has thrown the South Asian archipelago into political chaos, with Nasheed’s supporters continuing their protests in the capital, Male.

The new administration is trying to weather the storm with a coalition government, joining up with parties linked to conservative Islam and the country’s previous 30-year dictatorship. 

101 East speaks with Mohammed Waheed Hassan, the newly-sworn in president, about the state of democracy in the Maldives.