Former President Mohamed Waheed has been appointed as a special advisor to the opposition coalition.

The appointment was made official at a special press conference held on Monday night.

The opposition coalition -comprising of former ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) and the People’s National Congress (PNC)- made the decision to appoint the former president to the post, at a council meeting on Sunday.

Waheed came into power after the resignation of former President Mohamed Nasheed; he was Nasheed’s running mate in the 2008 presidential elections and the administration’s vice president. While Nasheed claims that he was forced out of office in a coup, his MDP describes Waheed as “a traitor” that worked with the coup organizers.

According to the opposition, the purpose of Waheed’s appointment as special advisor is to strengthen their activities.

He joined PPM in December 2013. He had competed in that year’s presidential elections, but withdrew after the first round of polling was annulled through the Supreme Court. He received only 5.13 percent of the votes in the round.

Waheed received his PhD from Stanford University, USA, in 1987 specializing in the field of international development. He received MA in political science and MA in education from the same university. He completed his undergraduate studies at the American University of Beirut in 1976.