Maldives President Hassan accused of seizing power through illegal coup

Male, Mar 14 (ANI): Maldivian President Waheed Hassan is facing opposition from his brother, who has accused him of seizing power through "an illegal coup" in February.

"He believes that he is serving his country as the leader of a legitimate government, but I do not agree with him," the BBC quoted Naushad Waheed, as saying.

Waheed has even taken to the streets of London to distribute anti-government leaflets.

Naushad Waheed said that his anti-government sentiment is not shared by his five brothers and three sisters, who have declared their support for Waheed Hassan.

Maldives Tourism Minister Ahmed Adheeb Abdul Gafoor also slammed protests against new president.

"He is free to his inclinations. The government has made no attempt to silence him or other opposition supporters in the Maldives.They are free to protest as much as they like. If we were the evil dictatorship they claim us to be, those protests would have been stopped long ago," he said.

"The fact is that we believe that on issues like tourism - a trade vital to the economy of the Maldives - petty rows over who runs the government are of secondary importance," he added.

President Waheed assumed power when Mohamed Nasheed was forced to resign amid political turmoil in the country.

He later claimed that that he was forced to step down because he was the victim of an army "mutiny". (ANI)