President defends track record in farewell address

Yameen repeatedly stated he was serving his final days in office. No mention was made of his bid to annul the September 23 election, which was dealt a blow Tuesday by the apex court’s refusal to call secret witnesses.

The jailing of political opponents “might have been the biggest challenge my government faced,” he conceded, but remained unapologetic.

“I established justice through the courts tasked with it by the Maldivian constitution,” he said in the televised address, which was announced by his spokesman minutes before it began.