Vice President Mohammed Waheed Hassan has taken an oath to be Maldives President after his predecessor Mohamed Nasheed resigned after weeks of protests.
Nasheed was the country's first democratically elected President but resigned on Tuesday after the police and army clashed in the streets of the island nation. The escalating protests were over his controversial arrest of a top judge.
Nasheed previously worked for the United Nations and led its children's fund in Afghanistan.
"I resign because I am not a person who wishes to rule with the use of power," Nasheed said in a televised address. "I believe that if the government were to remain in power it would require the use of force which would harm many citizens.
"I resign because I believe that if the government continues to stay in power, it is very likely that we may face foreign influences." It was not immediately clear to what influences he was referring. India helped foil a coup on the islands in 1988 by sending a battalion of soldiers to back the government.
