The Maldives, a popular tourist destination, saw a change in leadership as the man responsible for bringing democracy to the islands stepped down amid military pressure following a police mutiny. His party labeled it as a bloodless coup. Despite recent political unrest, the capital island of Male appeared calm on Wednesday, with people going about their usual routines. This turmoil did not impact the tourists who come to the Maldives for luxury resorts and sandy beaches. Former President Mohamed Nasheed resigned on Tuesday and was released from military custody. The speaker of the People's Majlis swore in Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik as his deputy. The United Nations Secretary-General expressed hope that the transfer of power would help resolve the political crisis in the country. Former President Nasheed's decision to have a judge arrested led to weeks of protests, culminating in a police revolt. Ultimately, Nasheed was marched into his office by the military and forced to resign. Nasheed was taken to his office where he met with his cabinet before announcing his resignation on television, according to Roberts who spoke from an undisclosed location. Roberts, a 32-year old British citizen, stated that Nasheed was pressured to resign by the military. Despite having the option to resist, Nasheed chose not to resort to violence to avoid bloodshed. Amnesty International has called on the new government to refrain from persecuting individuals based on their political beliefs, as there are concerns about potential prosecution of Nasheed and restrictions on his senior allies from leaving the country. The new president, Waheed, was expected to lead a coalition national unity government until the presidential election in October 2013. He stated that it was inaccurate to label the change of leadership as a coup and assured that tourists were not in danger. Tourism makes up a significant portion of the Maldives' economy, accounting for about two-thirds of its GDP of approximately $1 billion. Despite some travel advisories, such as from Britain, warning against travel to Male, most of the Maldives' nearly 1 million annual visitors do not actually visit the capital. Instead, they are transported directly from the airport island to their resorts by speedboat or seaplane. Wednesday's flights were arriving on schedule. Opposition parties, who have different ideologies, have united in their criticism of Nasheed during the constitutional crisis. They are now using harsh language to question his Islamic beliefs in the predominantly Sunni Muslim country. Analyst N. Sathiya Moorthy, in an article in The Hindu newspaper, praised Nasheed for being the Maldives' first democratically elected president but also criticized him for creating unnecessary political and constitutional conflicts. Despite this, Moorthy commended Nasheed for his commitment to democratic values by gracefully stepping down from office, preventing a potential political or military confrontation. In a signal that the time period before Nasheed had returned, the state broadcaster MNBC was renamed TV Maldives and it broadcasted one interview after another with opposition figures. It had this name during the 30-year rule of former president Gayoom, who was known for his authoritarian leadership style and was Nasheed's rival. Nasheed spent a total of six years in prison, with 27 arrests, while fighting for democracy against Gayoom. Nasheed defeated his rival in a 2008 election, the first multi-party democratic election in the history of the former British protectorate, which is home to approximately 330,000 people and was a sultanate for many centuries. He received praise for his passionate activism regarding climate change and the threat of rising sea levels to the low-lying nation.