Crisis Chronology

Home About Discussion Contact ☰

MALDIVES

09/30/2023

Muizzu elected president

Muizzu wins 54% of the vote.

09/09/2023

Opposition candidate Mohamed Muizzu takes a lead, surprisingly, over President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, but falls short of an outright majority, winning 46% of the votes to Solih’s 39%. Muizzu, candidate of a coalition led by his Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM), promised to reduce India’s presence in the country and has in the past favored China. Solih had been ahead in polls but infighting within his Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), a lower-than-expected voter turnout, and disenchantment with his failure to tackle corruption appears to have hurt the president. A runoff is expected to be announced for 9/30.

05/12/2021

Nasheed is flown to Germany for further treatment. He remains in critical condition.

05/06/2021

Mohammed Nasheed is seriously wounded by a bomb explosion near his home. It is later determined to be an assassination attempt.

04/07/2019

Nasheed’s party regains control

Nasheed’s Maldivian Democratic Party wins about two-thirds of 87-member parliament. Though Nasheed was barred from running for president, he wins a seat in parliament and his lieutenant, Ibrahim Mohammed Solih, will become president. Yameen’s Progressive Party of the Maldives, wins only four seats. Nasheed promises to make the Maldives a parliamentary democracy, reversing the course of Yameen’s strengthening of the executive office.

04/03/2019

High Court unfreezes Yameen’s bank accounts.

03/28/2019

High Court frees Abdulla Yameen, who was arrested on charges of attempting to influence witnesses in a money-laundering trial. He will now be able to campaign.

10/21/2018

Supreme Court throws out Yameen petition to annul elections based on fraud.

10/18/2018

High court frees Gayoom, setting aside the jail term, due to mishandling of trial procedure. However, he still faces a trial about trying overthrow Yameen.

10/10/2018

Yasmeen files challenge to election results, saying that the election commission manipulated the results.

09/29/2018

Gayoom is freed on bail.

09/23/2018

Solih elected president

In a surprise, the MDP unseats Yameen, with Ibrahim Solih winning 58% of the vote. Yameen says he will respect the outcome. While Solih will likely favor India, there is already substantial Chinese investment in the Maldives. Solih will also try to free Nasheed.

06/30/2018

MDP selects Nasheed’s choice and longtime legislator, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, to be presidential candidate.

06/29/2018

Nasheed gives up his candidacy for president. The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) will have to nominate a new candidate.

06/25/2018

Supreme Court rescinds the release of the twelve members of parliament but says that separate decisions are necessary to determine whether they have lost their seats.

06/20/2018

Supreme Court rejects the appeal of former Chief Justice Abudlla Saeed and another justice. They were convicted of influencing official conduct in May. Yasmeen will now appoint new justices to the court.

06/02/2018

Constitutional Court orders that the current government leave office by 6/5 and a new prime minister and cabinet be named by 6/12, superseding a previous unclear order.

05/20/2018

Election Commission announces that it will nullify the election of any candidate who does not qualify according to the constitution. This would disqualify Nasheed, who was convicted of terrorism in 2015 in a trial that many believe was politically motivated.

02/18/2018

Government asks for an extension of the state of emergency for another fifteen days.

02/05/2018

State of emergency imposed

Government imposes a 15-day state of emergency and troops surround the Supreme Court to prevent the release of political prisoners, arresting two judges. Former Pres Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, now head of the Progressive Party of the Maldives, formed in 9/2011, is also arrested. Opposition appeals to India to intervene.The underlying problem in Maldives is Nasheed’s encouragement of Chinese investment, while the opposition is supported by India. Underneath that is a religious divide, as Nasheed has allowed Islamic fundamentalists, partricularly Wahabis, to spread.

02/04/2018

Military seals parliament and arrests two opposition leaders.

02/03/2018

Government forbids its employees from carrying out an order of impeachment by the Supreme Court and refuses to release prisoners.

02/02/2018

Threat of impeachment

Supreme Court orders the release of a number of political prisoners, including former president Mohamed Nasheed, who is in exile in the UK. Among the prisoners are twelve opposition legislators. Their reinstatement in parliament end Yameen’s Maldivian Democratic Party’s majority and could therefore result in his impeachment.