"It had expired at 1600 hours on the 13 February 2013, and

there is no reason for him to remain in the High Commission and to instigate street violence," Waheed said. He said the court's decision has nothing to do with his government. "Upholding the rule of law means nobody is above the law. I would like to assure the people of Maldives that the law and order will be maintained," the President said. Nasheed became the first democratically elected president of the Indian Ocean archipelago in 2008. He resigned a year ago after weeks of public protests against the judge's arrest. His deputy, Mohammed Waheed, succeeded him. Immediately after his resignation, Nasheed claimed that he was ousted in a coup, a claim was dismissed by an inquiry commission last year. Last week, Nasheed had demanded the resignation of President Waheed and called for setting up an interim, caretaker government to ensure free and fair elections. Waheed also invited friendly governments and international organisations to assist in preparations for the election and to provide international observers. "I promise to the people of Maldives and our international partners that my government will do the utmost to promote democracy in the country," he said in a statement. "My government has upheld the rule of law and respected all independent institutions. I am pleased to note that unlike in the past, within the last year, the President has not interfered in the work of the judiciary, the police, or the independent commissions," Waheed said. He said he was confident that with the support of the eight political parties and entities in his government, "we will be able to maintain peace, stability and continuity leading to a free and fair multi-party election as scheduled." "I hope that all political parties will find peaceful and non-combative approaches to conduct in election campaigns." He urged all political parties to avoid confrontational politics, to avoid violence and to respect the Maldivian constitution and laws.