Question

Explain the process of democratisation in Maldives.

Answer 1

The Maldives' democratic process is as follows:

1. Presidential rule of Ibrahim Nasir after independence in 1965: In 1965, the Maldives gained independence based on universal adult suffrage, and they went on to adopt a presidential form of government. The Maldives' first president, Ibrahim Nasir, served from 1966 until 1978.
2. Maumoon Abdul Gayoom: The Maldivian Democratic Party maintained control after Ibrahim Nasir until October 2008, when Maumoon Abdul Gayoom took over.
3. Democracy derailed in the Maldives in February 2012: President Mohamed Nasheed of the Maldives was forced to resign and hand over power to Vice President Mohamed Waheed Hassan on February 7, 2012, as a result of a police and army mutiny. After accusing a judge of being in the pay of MaumoonAbdul Gayoom, who had ruled for 30 years prior to Nasheed's election as the first democratically elected President of the Maldives in 2008, Nasheed was met with violent street protests and a constitutional crisis.
4. Presidential elections in the Maldives in September 2018: Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, the joint candidate of the opposition parties, defeated Abdulla Yameen by 58.3% of the vote in the Maldives' presidential election on September 23, 2018. Although the newly elected President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih faced many obstacles, these elections nonetheless deepened the foundation of Maldivian democracy.