<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">In Maldives, opposition parties have agreed to field a joint candidate in the Presidential elections to challenge incumbent Abdulla Yameen. </div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br />''</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Today's announcement came after former President Mohamed Nasheed yesterday said that he has withdrawn from the presidential polls scheduled for September 23rd.</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Nasheed is in self-imposed exile in London. </div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br />''</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Nasheed's Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) said it has agreed to join several other parties, including a breakaway faction of Yameen's ruling party, to form an alliance.</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br />''</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Opposition sources in the Maldives said the MDP's parliamentary leader Ibrahim Mohamed Solih is tipped to be named as the common candidate.</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br />''</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Yameen declared a state of emergency in February in the Indian Ocean, a move critics say was aimed at averting his impeachment. All his main rivals have meanwhile been jailed.</div>''<div class="yj6qo" style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"></div>''<div class="adL" style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"></div>