Male: Amid political turbulence in Maldives, former president Mohamed Nasheed has temporarily relocated to Ghana in West Africa after announcing his hiatus from “active politics” without informing Parliament. In a post on X on Tuesday night, Nasheed, an MP and a prominent and controversial figure in Maldivian politics, said he has arrived in Ghana’s capital Accra to start work as the Secretary-General of the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF).

The CVF, an international partnership of countries highly vulnerable to a warming planet, was established in 2009, while Nasheed was in office. “Ghana is hosting the Secretariat and this will be my home for a few years. We hope to unlock the investments needed so @TheCVF members can pursue clean growth & climate prosperity,” he said.

Nasheed, 56, served as the first president of the Maldives from 2008 to 2012. He was also the Speaker of Parliament (the People’s Majlis) from 2019 to 2023. The Parliament on Wednesday said Nasheed, the incumbent Central Machangolhi parliamentarian, did not inform it before temporarily moving to Ghana, sun.mv news portal reported.

“Nasheed has not informed Parliament about the responsibilities he has”

Quoting Parliament’s Communications Director Hassan Ziyau, the report said Nasheed has also not been informed what he plans to do with his responsibilities at the Parliament. Ziyau said Nasheed has not applied for leave and will continue to receive his salary for the remaining three months of his term. Last month, Nasheed announced that he was taking “a respite from active politics” to assume his new post as the CVF’s secretary general.

Nasheed’s presidency was marked by protests, constitutional crises, and corruption scandals. In 2012, he was arrested and stripped of his presidency and was later sentenced to 13 years in jail on terrorism-related charges. His release followed international pressure.

(With inputs from agency)

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