President Mohamed Nasheed resigned today in the face of mounting protests from opposition groups following the arrest and detention of a senior judge. HE has been succeeded by Waheed Hassan who will form a Government of National Unity.
Best known internationally for being the first democratically elected president of The Maldives, he was also known for his youth and the decision to hold a cabinet meeting under water to highlight the potential impact on the Maldives of climate change.
We at Experience Travel thought that one of the cleverer government PR stunts of recent years and admired Nasheed. He had a good reputation internationally, but seems to have been beset by a series of domestic problems.
Our first responsibility at Experience Travel is obviously to our clients. We have been on the phone to our local partners who assure us that the situation is relatively calm and entirely safe for tourists – the mainstay of the Maldivian economy. We will continue to monitor the situation closely.
Our clients are transiting in Male on route to their resorts as normal.