The Maldives, officially the Republic of Maldives, and historically known as Maldive Islands, is a country and archipelagic state in South Asia in the Indian Ocean. The Maldives is named after the main island and capital, Malé. The Maldives is southwest of Sri Lanka and India, about 750 kilometres from the Asian continent's mainland. The Maldives' chain of 26 atolls stretches across the equator from Ihavandhippolhu Atoll in the north to Addu Atoll in the south.
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 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 Distinguished Rule of Ghaazee", 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 51,516 individuals as of 25 April 2024.
Mohamed Nasheed GCSK, also known as Anni, is a Maldivian politician and activist who served as president of the Maldives from 2008 until his resignation in 2012. A founding member of the Maldivian Democratic Party, he subsequently served as the 19th speaker of the People's Majlis from May 2019 until his resignation in November 2023. He is the first democratically elected president of the Maldives and the only president to resign from office. He is currently a member of The Democrats.
Dr. Mohamed Zahir Hussain,(Dhivehi:ޑރ. މުޙައްމަދު ޒާހިރު ޙުސައިން) is the chancellor of the Islamic University of Maldives. He was appointed by the former president, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih. He was also the chancellor of Maldives National University and the former Minister of Education as well as the Minister of Youth and Sports of the Maldives. He resigned from the post of Youth Minister in the year 2004 but was again appointed as a senior minister in 2006 and served in the cabinet of President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom until 2008 presidential election. In 2008, he was conferred the distinguished "Order of Izzuddin" by President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom. He is also the Chairman/Owner of the newspaper Haveeru Daily which was established in 1978. His wife was Naalia Ibrahim Kaleyfaan, who died in 2021 while receiving treatment at ADK Hospital. She was a teacher at Aminiya School for 25 years, and the first chancellor of the Islamic University of Maldives. Zahir has three children – Leena Zahir Hussain, Vail Zahir Hussain and Lubna Zahir Hussain.
Israel–Maldives relations refer to foreign relations between Israel and the Maldives. The countries had diplomatic relations from 1965 to 1974. From 2012 to 2017, they maintained cooperation agreements, but did not restore full diplomatic relations.
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 the President of the Maldivian Democratic Party. Shahid is the first Maldivian politician to hold that post. He had served as Minister of Foreign Affairs, Maldives from 2018 to 2023.
Abdul Majeed Abdul Bari was a scholar and the Minister of Islamic Affairs of the Maldives from 2008 to 2012. Majeed died on 22 May, 2018, in Colombo, Sri Lanka at the age of 55.
Abdul Majeed Mahir is a Maldivian politician, born in Fuvahmulah to Funaadu Ganduvaru Aisha Didi of Fuvahmulah and Velaanaagey Mohamed Didi of Male, Maldives. He served high government posts during the reign of his nephew, President Ibrahim Nasir, such as the position of Deputy Minister of Finance and the position of Deputy Minister of Peace and Security according to some sources. He also served as the President of Male Municipality from 1960 to 1961 and served in the Management of MWSC during the reign of President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.
Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom is a Maldivian politician who served as president of the Maldives from 2013 to 2018.
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.
Hala Hameed is a Maldivian politician and diplomat who has been Secretary, Multilateral at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs since August 2020.
Mariya Didi is a Maldivian barrister and politician who served as the Minister of Defense of the Maldives. After being the campaign manager for president Ibrahim Mohamed Solih during the 2018 elections, she was appointed the nation's first-ever female Minister of Defence.
Aneesa Ahmed is a Maldivian women's rights activist who was also the first speaker(vice) of People's Majilis from 2004 to 2009.
A political crisis in the Maldives intensified on after President Abdulla Yameen decided to disobey the Supreme Court order to release 9 political prisoners and reinstating 12 parliament members which will give the opposition (MDP) control of the chamber and potentially paving the way for Yameen's impeachment.
Aishath Nahula is a Maldivian politician and public figure. She was the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation of Maldives, and a national council member of the Jumhooree Party.
Umar Zahir was a Maldivian politician. He was the first sports minister of the Maldives, serving from 1988 to 1993. As public works minister from 1993 to 2004, he oversaw the first construction phase of Hulhumalé, as well as the construction of Thilafushi and the Malé seawall.
Ahmed Faris Maumoon, commonly known as Faris, is a Maldivian politician who 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.
