Maldives exiled leader Nasheed vows to take parliament

The exiled former leader of the Maldives today announced plans to take control of the national parliament after hammering out a rare unity pact with his politically influential erstwhile enemies.

Mohamed Nasheed said he entered into a pact with three other parties to wrest control of the 85-member national parliament currently held by President Abdulla Yameen's Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM).

Nasheed said former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, a half brother of Yameen, signed an agreement at the weekend vowing to work together to secure, among other things, freedom for those convicted of politically motivated charges.

"We are going to prove our majority in parliament on Monday," Nasheed told

(This article has not been edited by DNA's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)