Maldives' President resigns after protests

The first democratically elected president of the Maldives resigned Tuesday after the police and army clashed in the streets of the island nation amid protests over his controversial arrest of a top judge. The latest protests in this Indian Ocean nation erupted after President Muhamed Nasheed ordered the military to arrest the chief judge of the Criminal Court. The judge had ordered the release of a government critic he said had been illegally detained.

After weeks of protests, the crisis came to a head today when hundreds of police started demonstrating in the capital, Male. Mutinying police took over the state broadcaster and issued an opposition-linked station's calls for people to come on the streets to overthrow Nasheed. The resulting clash between police and pro-government soldiers prompted Nasheed’s resignation.

“I don't want to hurt any Maldivian,” Nasheed said. “I feel my staying on in power will only increase the problems, and it will hurt our citizens. So the best option available to me is to step down.”

Nasheed was succeeded by Vice-President Mohammed Waheed Hassan, who was sworn in as president shortly after the resignation was announced.

Listen to Christopher Wells' report: