The history of the Maldives is intertwined with the history of the broader Indian subcontinent and the surrounding regions,comprising the areas of South Asia and Indian Ocean. The modern nation is formed of 26 natural atolls,comprising 1194 islands. Historically,the Maldives has held strategic importance due to its location on the major marine routes of the Indian Ocean. The Maldives's nearest neighbors are the British Indian Ocean Territory,Sri Lanka and India. The United Kingdom,Sri Lanka,and some Indian kingdoms have had cultural and economic ties with the Maldives for centuries. In addition to these countries,Maldivians also traded with Aceh and many other kingdoms in what is today Indonesia and Malaysia. The Maldives provided the primary source of cowrie shells,which were then used as currency throughout Asia and parts of the East African coast. Most probably,Maldives were influenced by Kalingas of ancient India who were earliest sea traders to Sri Lanka and the Maldives from India,responsible for the spread of Buddhism. Stashes of Chinese crockery found buried in various locations in the Maldives also show that there was direct or indirect trade contact between China and the Maldives. In 1411 and 1430,the Chinese admiral Zheng He (鄭和) visited the Maldives. The Chinese also became the first country to establish a diplomatic office in the Maldives when the Chinese nationalist government based in Taipei opened an embassy in Maléin 1966. The Embassy of the People's Republic of China has since replaced this office.
The politics of the Maldives take place in the framework of a presidential representative democratic republic,whereby the President is the Head of Government. Executive power is exercised by the government. The President heads the executive branch and appoints the Cabinet;like many presidential democracies,each member of the cabinet need to be approved by the Parliament. The President,along with their pick for vice president,is directly elected by the denizens to a five-year term by a secret ballot. Once in office,they could be re-elected to a second 5-year term,which is the limit allowed by the Constitution. The current President of the Maldives is Mohamed Muizzu,when his predecessor,Ibrahim Mohamed Solih lost the 2023 Maldivian presidential election.
Maumoon Abdul Gayoom,,is a Maldivian politician and Islamic scholar who served as President of the Maldives from 1978 to 2008. After serving as transport minister,he was nominated president by the People's Majlis and succeeded Ibrahim Nasir in 1978. He was defeated in 2008 during the first Presidential Elections after democratic reforms in the Maldives. He holds the nations highest award,"The Most Honourable Order of the Distinguished Rule of Ghazi",presented to him in 2013. Maumoon was the longest-serving president in Asia.
The Maldivian Democratic Party is the first political party formed in the Republic of Maldives with a total membership of 50,980 individuals as of 28 July 2024.
Fathulla Jameel,was the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Maldives from 1978 to 2005.
The president of the Republic of Maldives is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of Maldives and the commander-in-chief of the Maldives National Defence Force.
Ahmed Thasmeen Ali,leader of Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party is a Maldivian MP,philanthropist and a businessman. Thasmeen started his career as a civil servant and after venturing into politics he was elected to Peoples Majlis from Baa Atoll and later he served in Maldives President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom's cabinet and was his running mate in the first multiparty election held in the Maldives in 2008.
Ilyas Ibrahim,is the brother-in-law of the former President of the Maldives Maumoon Abdul Gayyoom. He was a minister in Maumoon's cabinet for a long time and served as an MP for the capital city Maléfrom 1980 to 1995. He also served as the MP for Laamu Atoll,&a member of People's Special Majilis,from 2003 to 2008.
The Cabinet of the Maldives is the most senior level of the executive branch of the Government of the Maldives. It is made up of the President,the Vice President,Attorney General and the Ministers.
The Progressive Party of Maldives,is a political party in the Maldives with a total membership of 35,044 as of 25 April 2024. The stated goal of the party is driving Maldives towards an independent and democratic,safe and secure,high income,high human capital,developed nation state with a diversified and robust economy whilst preserving its Islamic heritage.
Abdulla Hameed,was a Maldivian politician. He was the Minister of Atolls during the administration of his brother Maumoon Abdul Gayoom. Hameed was the Speaker of the Majlis from 1988 to 1990 and again from 1993 to 2004. He was a recipient of the Order of Distinguished Rule of Izzuddeen.
Visam Ali is a former High Commissioner of the Maldives to Malaysia. She was a Maldivian Member of Parliament representing Raa Atoll,Maduvvaree legislative district for the 18th sitting of Majlis of the Maldives.
The 2011–2013 Maldives political crisis began as a series of peaceful protests that broke out in the Maldives on 1 May 2011. They would continue,eventually escalating into the resignation of President Mohamed Nasheed in disputed circumstances in February 2012. Demonstrators were protesting what they considered the government's mismanagement of the economy and were calling for the ouster of President Nasheed. The main political opposition party in the country,the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party led by the former president of the country Maumoon Abdul Gayoom accused President Nasheed of "talking about democracy but not putting it into practice." The protests occurred during the Arab Spring.
Abdulla Shahid,is a Maldivian politician who served as President of the 76th United Nations General Assembly between 2021 and 2022 and is the current President of the Maldivian Democratic Party. Shahid is the first Maldivian politician to hold that post. He had served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2018 to 2023.
Ali Waheed,also known as Ammadey,is a Maldivian politician who served as the Tourism Minister of Maldives,former MP and the Chairperson of the Jumhooree Party. He was also the Chairman of New Radiant Sports Club.
Alhan Fahmy was a Parliament member of the 17th People's Majlis sitting of Maldives representing the Addu Atoll Feydhoo Constituency representing the then,opposition party Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party under the leadership of former president Maumoon Abdul Gayyoom.
Moomina Haleem Ahmed Ismail,,is a Maldivian former politician. In 1974 she became the first woman to be elected to the People's Majlis. Three years later she also became the first woman appointed as a cabinet minister.
Ahmed Faris Maumoon,commonly known as Faris,is a Maldivian politician who currently serves as the President of the Maldives Reform Movement (MRM),a political party established in 2019 by his father and former president,Maumoon Abdul Gayoom. He has served as Minister of State for Economic Development from November 2013 to June 2015. He was also elected as a Member of Parliament from June 2015 to May 2019 for Dhiggaru constituency.
Mohamed Ghassan Maumoon is a Maldivian politician and incumbent Minister of Defence of the Maldives. He has held many ministerial positions in past administrations of the government. He is member of Parliament from Guraidhoo constituency. He is serving as Vice President of the Progressive Party of Maldives.
Sheikh Abdul Gayoom Ibrahim,commonly known as Maafaiygey Dhon Seedhi,was a Maldivian politician and judge who served as 7th Attorney General of the Maldive Islands from 1950 to 1951.
