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.
The Maldives has remained an independent nation throughout its recorded history,save for a brief spell of Portuguese occupation in the mid-16th century. From 1887 to 1965,the country was a British protectorate while retaining full internal sovereignty. At its independence in 1965,the Maldives joined the United Nations on 20 September.
The Maldivian Democratic Party is the first political party formed in the Republic of Maldives with a total membership of 52,142 individuals as of 5 March 2024. The 2019 parliamentary election was the first time one party was able to secure a majority in parliament without forming a coalition.
Ilyas Hussain Ibrahim is a Maldivian politician. He was an official in the Ministry of Atolls Development from 1990 to 2004,then a member of the Special Majilis (parliament) representing A.DH Atoll from 2004 to 2008. Between 2008 and 2013 he was Deputy Minister or Minister of State for Immigration and Emigration,Housing and Environment,and then Defense and National Security.
The Progressive Party of Maldives,also known by its abbreviationPPM,is an Islamist political party in the Maldives with a total membership of 36,223 as of 5 March 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.
Diplomatic relations between the People's Republic of China and the Maldives were established in 1972. China has an embassy in Maléwhich opened in November 2011,and the Maldives has an embassy in Beijing which opened in 2009. Approximately 70 percent of the Maldives' total debt is attributed to Chinese projects,with an annual payment of $92 million to China,constituting around 10 percent of the country's entire budget. China has become pervasive in the Maldives,exerting influence over infrastructure,trade,and energy sectors,raising concerns of a new form of Chinese entrapment.
Adam Shareef Umar is a Maldivian politician who is currently the Minister of Cities,Local Government and Public Works.
The People's National Congress is a political party in the Maldives founded in January 2019 and the current governing party. The party's formation was spearheaded by former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom,who had been in a dispute with the leadership of the Progressive Party of Maldives.
Presidential elections were held in the Maldives on Saturday,9 September 2023,with a second round held on 30 September. Incumbent president Ibrahim Mohamed Solih was seeking re-election,after defeating Speaker of the People's Majlis Mohamed Nasheed in the Maldivian Democratic Party primaries. People's National Congress candidate and Malémayor Mohamed Muizzu won the election with 54% of the votes,defeating Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and becoming President-elect of the Maldives. It was the fourth consecutive election in which a Maldivian president failed to win reelection,the last to do so having been Maumoon Abdul Gayoom,who ran unopposed,in 2003.
Dr Mohamed Muizzu is a Maldivian politician who is the 8th and current president of the Maldives since 2023. He previously served as Housing Minister and was the Mayor of Maléfrom 2021 until his resignation in 2023.
Dr. Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed is a Maldivian politician who is currently serving as the Minister of Islamic Affairs since 17 November 2023.
Mohamed Shafeeq is a Maldivian politician. He is the incumbent Finance Minister of the Maldives. He was the Chief Financial Officer of Housing Development Finance Corporation (HDFC). He joined the corporation in 2009,and was appointed to the post of CFO in 2021.
Ahmed Usham is the incumbent Attorney General of the Maldives. Earlier,he served as Deputy Solicitor General at the Attorney General's Office,and as Deputy Attorney General. He currently serving as the Maldives National Party's (MNP) Vice President.
Maryam Mariya is a Maldivian politician who is Minister of Higher Education,Labour and Skills Development. She was serving as Visiting Scholar at Maldives National University.
Abdulla Rafiu is a Maldivian sports physician currently the incumbent Minister of Sports,Fitness and Recreation ministry.
Ahmed Shiyam is a Maldivian politician who is the incumbent Minister of Fisheries and Ocean Resources.
The following lists events that happened during 2024 in the Maldives.
In January 2024,relations between India and Maldives,traditionally close neighbors with strong historical and cultural ties,became strained due to derogatory remarks by Maldivian cabinet ministers and concerns over racism,targeted towards Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well as India.
Mohamed Muizzu's tenure as the 9th President of the Maldives began with his inauguration on 17 November 2023. Muizzu,a People's National Congress politician who previously served as Housing Minister for two terms under president Mohamed Waheed Hassan and Abdulla Yameen. Muizzu was the Mayor of Maléfrom 2021 until his resignation in 2023.
The Cabinet of Mohamed Muizzu is the current most senior level of the executive branch of the current Government of the Maldives. The cabinet ministers were appointed following the inauguration of President Mohamed Muizzu.
