Thousands have gathered in the capital Male to welcome former president Mohamed Nasheed who returns to the Maldives on Thursday - three years after he went into self-imposed exile.
Nasheed had lived in self imposed exile most recently in Sri Lanka after he was allowed to leave to the UK on medical leave in an internationally brokered deal in 2015 following his jailing on terrorism charges.
He was sentenced to 13 years in prison over the arbitrary arrest and subsequent detention of a sitting judge while he was president.
Nasheed's return on November 1 was announced days after after the opposition alliance secured a surprise victory in last month's presidential elections.