The outgoing president of the Maldives said today the election of a new head of state signalled "a happy ending" to a political crisis which began when he took power from the islands' first freely-elected leader.
In an exclusive interview with AFP in Hong Kong, Mohamed Waheed, acknowledged the Indian Ocean archipelago was still trying to find its feet as a democracy but said it could now move on after the outcome of yesterday's run-off election.
"We are going through an early stage of democratic transition. It's not easy for the Maldives," said Waheed, who has family in Hong Kong and will accompany his wife to Singapore for a medical appointment.
"Hopefully we are back on track. I believe now the Maldives is ready to move on.
"It's a happy ending," he added in his last interview as president.
Abdulla Yameen is due to be sworn in later today as president after his surprise victory over opposition leader Mohamed Nasheed.
Waheed, who had been vice president, came to power in February 2012 when Nasheed was ousted in the aftermath of a police mutiny.
Nasheed's political demise dealt a body blow to the Maldives' democratic credentials, coming less than four years after he won the country's first democratic elections.
Yameen is the half-brother of Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who ruled the islands with an iron fist for 30 years. His his election has prompted suspicions the former strongman will once again rule the country from behind the scenes.
Waheed acknowledged his time in office had been a troubled period amid the recriminations over his predecessor's political demise. Nasheed has said he was the victim of a coup in which Waheed was complicit from the start.
"It's been a fairly difficult time because it's the first five years under the new constitution," said Waheed.
He said democracy in the Maldives needed some refinement, adding that the election campaign had been too long.
"If we don't refine, all difficulties come up.
"Our democracy is like an uncut diamond. We need to cut it properly and polish it."
Despite the enmity between the two former allies, Waheed praised Nasheed for "gracefully accepting his defeat" and said he hoped it would help heal divisions among the islands' 350,000 Sunni Muslim residents.
"My wish is both (Nasheed and Yameen) can work together for the best interests of the country," said Waheed.
"You cannot have peaceful development excluding half of the population," he said, referring to the 50-50 divide.
Waheed said he hoped Yameen's election would help reassure both locals and foreign tourists, who are the islands' economic lifeblood.
"The priority of our new leader should be to maintain stability and peace so that people can go about their normal daily business, while kids can go to schools and people can fly in and out.
