A newly-formed opposition alliance says it will seek to oust the Maldives's president and form an interim government to ensure elections scheduled in 2018 will be free and fair.
Ahmed Naseem, of the so-called shadow government in exile, said today that an interim administration is crucial to restore democracy and to "protect the many people being persecuted."
He says President Yameen Abdul Gayoom has filled the elections commission with his activists, which undermines the commission's independence and risks the trustworthiness of the electronic voting he wants to introduce.
Maldives opposition parties earlier this month formed an alliance in Britain, where its leaders are exiled. The government of the Indian Ocean archipelago had no immediate comment.
