The first democratically elected president of the Maldives, who was ousted from power last year, faces a runoff after falling short of a clear majority in the first round of Indian Ocean archipelago’s presidential election.

Voting was held Saturday in Maldives for the second multi-party Presidential elections with long queues of people outside polling stations in this Indian Ocean archipelago, which has seen a series of unsettling political events in the last 18 months.

The Maldivian high court on Monday stayed temporarily the trial against former President Mohamed Nasheed in an abuse of power case till it decides the legitimacy of the bench of the lower court.

The police in the Maldives detained opposition leader Mohamed Nasheed on Tuesday, defying pressure from regional power India which had called for him to be free to campaign for elections.

Amidst continuing stand-off between the government and the former Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed, who remained holed up in the Indian mission here for the eighth day, a high-level team of the In

Former Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed can leave the Indian high commission where he has taken refuge because the warrant for his arrest has expired, the government said on Thursday.

The Jumhoorie Party, whose leader and a key presidential aide dubbed Indian envoy Dnyaneshwar Mulay a “traitor” and “an enemy of Maldives”, on Sunday distanced itself from his remarks, saying it was a

India and Maldives were involved in a diplomatic row over intemperate remarks made against the Indian high commissioner by the spokesperson to the Maldivian President which was described by the envoy as against diplomatic protocol.

Maldivian police on Monday arrested the country's first democratically-elected President Mohamed Nasheed after he again failed to turn up for the start of a trial for abuse of power, his party said.

Armed Maldivian police arrested the country's first democratically elected president on Monday after he ignored court orders to stand trial for abusing his power while in office, his party said.

Poli