A Maldives opposition spokesman says several thousand protesters have converged on the capital Male to demand that President Mohamad Nasheed step down.

The spokesman, Mohammed Shareef, said about 5,000 people, mostly young men, were protesting against economic hardship, alleged mismanagement and wasteful spending, AP reported.

Nasheed was elected president of the island nation in the Indian Ocean in the country's first multiparty election in 2008 after 30 years of authoritarian rule.