Maldives opposition unites to challenge president

Abdulla Yameen. File Pic

Opposition parties in the Maldives agreed on Saturday to field a joint candidate in September's presidential elections to challenge incumbent Abdulla Yameen, whose crackdown on dissent has alarmed the international community.

Yameen declared a state of emergency in February, a move critics say was aimed at averting his impeachment. All his main rivals have meanwhile been jailed. Saturday's announcement came after ex-president Mohamed Nasheed, who is in self-imposed exile in London, said on Friday that he would not return to run in the September 23 vote.

Nasheed's Maldivian Democratic Party said it has agreed to join several other parties to form an alliance.

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