Maldives Ex-President Awaits His Inevitable Arrest

On Thursday, a court in the Maldives issued an arrest warrant for Mohamed Nasheed, the man who was president of the country just two days prior.

The charges against Nasheed are unclear, but he is currently awaiting arrest at his house in the capital city of Male and believes that that tomorrow I will be in jail.

The home minister has pledged [I will be] the first former president to spend all my life in jail, he told reporters from his home.

Nasheed is no stranger to arrest. The now ex-president was arrested 27 times for a total of six years under the rule of the autocratic President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.

Nasheed beat President Gayoom in the Maldive's 2008 presidential elections and he helped establish a multi-party system. But for the past several weeks, protestors demonstrated against his rule, claiming that Nasheed had adopted the unsavory techniques of his predecessor.

The protests -- as well as security forces with guns to his head, according to Nasheed -- forced the president to resign on Tuesday, which in turn sparked pro-Nasheed rallies and clashes with police.

Police beat up the people very, very brutally, Nasheed told reporters. Additionally, a police station was burned down in Addu, the country's second largest city.

Mohammed Waheed Hassan, a former vice president, has taken control of the Maldives. Hassan has already begun building a new cabinet, mainly with people historically against Nasheed.

Indian and British diplomats have already met with Hassan and a representative from the United States is schedule to arrive at the Indian Ocean archipelago on Saturday.