The History of Maldives stretches over two and half millennia by some accounts. The earliest Dheyvis people settled in the Islands during this time. Buddhism arrived in the region during the times of Asoka the Great (269-232 BC) and remained the religion of the people for the next fourteen centuries. A Buddhist King, Dhovemi, converted to Islam, through Arab traders, in 1153. Maldives remained a Muslim Monarchy till 1932 when it adopted Democratic institutions. European Colonialism started increasing pressures on the Island nation after the 16th Century. The Portuguese and the Dutch were the first to arrive but the English came to hold the Island during the late nineteenth century. It became an English Protectorate in 1887. It remained an English Protectorate till 1965 when it won independence. Maldives has been moving to become a full Democracy through fits and starts. A decade and three years of political uncertainty followed after the independence of the country. Long years of quasi-dictatorship by Maumoon Abdul Gayoom began in 1978 and continued till 2008. An uneasy democratic system has been in progress since then. The last elections were held in Maldives in 2018. They installed Ibrahim Muhammed Solih in power.
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Chronology of Maldives’ History
Early 12th Century AD A medieval prince named Koimala, a nobleman of the Lion Race from Sri Lanka, sailed to Rasgetheemu island (literally “Town of the Royal House”, or figuratively “King’s Town”) in the North Maalhosmadulu Atoll, and from there to Malé, and established a kingdom.
1153 The last Buddhist king of Maldives Dhovemi converted to Islam. The king thereupon adopted the Muslim title and name (in Arabic) of Sultan (besides the old Divehi title of Maha Radun or Ras Kilege or Rasgefānu) Muhammad al Adil, initiating a series of six Islamic dynasties consisting of eighty-four sultans and sultanas that lasted until 1932 when the sultanate became elective. The formal title of the Sultan up to 1965 was, Sultan of Land and Sea, Lord of the twelve-thousand islands and Sultan of the Maldives which came with the style Highness. The person traditionally deemed responsible for this conversion was a Sunni Muslim visitor named Abu al Barakat, more commonly known as Yusuf bin Ahmad al-Kawneyn. His venerated tomb now stands on the grounds of Hukuru Mosque in the capital Malé. Built in 1656, this is the oldest mosque in Maldives.
1340s Ibn Battutah visited Maldives.
1558 The Portuguese established a small garrison with a Viador (Viyazoru), or overseer of a factory (trading post) in the Maldives, which they administered from their main colony in Goa. They tried to impose Christianity on the locals.
1573 A local leader named Muhammad Thakurufaanu Al-Azam and his two brothers organized a popular revolt and drove the Portuguese out of Maldives. This event is now commemorated as National Day, and a small museum and memorial center honor the hero on his home island of Utheemu on North Thiladhummathi Atoll.
Till 17th Century The Maliki school of jurisprudence, used throughout most of North Africa, was the official one in the Maldives.
Mid-17th Century The Dutch, who had replaced the Portuguese as the dominant power in Ceylon, established hegemony over Maldivian affairs without involving themselves directly in local matters, which were governed according to centuries-old Islamic customs.
1796 The British expelled the Dutch from Ceylon and included Maldives as a protected state.
1860s Britain got entangled with the Maldives as a result of domestic disturbances which targeted the settler community of Bora merchants who were British subjects. Rivalry between two dominant families, the Athireege clan and the Kakaage clan was resolved with former winning the favor of the British authorities in Ceylon.
16 December 1887 The Sultan of the Maldives signed a contract with the British Governor of Ceylon turning the Maldives into a British protected state, thus giving up the islands’ sovereignty in matters of foreign policy, but retaining internal self-government. The British government promised military protection and non-interference in local administration, which continued to be regulated by Muslim traditional institutions, in exchange for an annual tribute. The status of the islands was akin to other British protectorates in the Indian Ocean region, including Zanzibar and the Trucial States.
1887-1965 During the British era, which lasted until 1965, Maldives continued to be ruled under a succession of sultans. It was a period during which the Sultan’s authority and powers were increasingly and decisively taken over by the Chief Minister, much to the chagrin of the British Governor-General who continued to deal with the ineffectual Sultan. Consequently, Britain encouraged the development of a constitutional monarchy.
1882-86 Ibrahim Nooraddeen was the sultan of the Maldives.
1886-88 Muhammad Mueenuddeen II.
1888-92 Ibrahim Nooraddeen was the sultan of the Maldives.
1892-93 Sultan Muhammad Imaaduddeen V.
1893 Sultan Muhammad Shamsuddeen Iskander III becomes king at 14 years of age.
20 July 1893-1 October 1902 Sultan Haji Muhammad Imaaduddeen VI.
2 October, 1902-1934 Sultan Muhammad Shamsuddeen Iskander III. Shamsuddeen’s succession to the throne was in part favored by the fact that he was great-nephew to Muhammad Didi Ranna Baderi Kilegefanu, the prime minister to three successive Sultans, who strongly protested to the Ceylon Governor in Colombo on behalf of his discarded great-nephew.
1926-32 Sultan Muhammad Shamsuddeen Iskander III (20 October 1879 – 12 March 1935).
1932 First Constitution of Maldives. The new arrangements favored neither the aging Sultan nor the wily Chief Minister, but rather a young crop of British-educated reformists. As a result, angry mobs were instigated against the Constitution which was publicly torn up.
1935-43 Sultan Sir Hassan Nooraddeen Iskandar II was Sultan of the Maldives.
1941 The Maldives were only marginally touched by the Second World War. The Italian auxiliary cruiser Ramb I was sunk off Addu atoll.
1944-1952 Abdul Majeed Rannabandeyri Kilegefaanu (29 August 1873 – 21 February 1952) was Sultan of Maldives. The first Maldivian school, Majeediyya School, was named after him. He was elected Sultan but was never installed and continued to live in Sri Lanka. Maldives was ruled by Council of Regency headed for a time by former Sultan Hassan Nooraddeen II. Following the death of Abdul Majeed, and after a national referendum, the Maldives became a republic.
1 Janurary 1953 With the support of the people, Mohamed Ameen Didi abolished the 812-year-old sultanate and became the first President of the Maldives on 1 January 1953, although he had always supported a constitutional monarchy.
1910-1954 Al Ameer Mohamed Ameen Dhoshimeynaa Kilegefaanu, popularly known as Mohamed Ameen Didi was a Maldivian political figure. He served as the first president of the Maldives and as the head of government between January 1, 1953 and August 21, 1953. Ameen Didi was also the principal of Majeediyya School from 1946 to 1953. Amin Didi had one daughter, Ameena Ameen. His grandson Ameen Faisal was the former Minister of Defence and National Security of Maldives.Mohamed Amin Didi was the leader of the first political party in the Maldives, Rayyithunge Muthagaddim Party. He was well known for his efforts to modernize the country, which included the advancement of women, education in Maldives, nationalizing the fish export industry and an unpopular ban on tobacco smoking.After the death of Sultan Majeed Didi and his son Prince Hassan Fareed Didi, the members of the parliament elected Amin Didi as the next person in line to succeed the sultan. But Didi is known to have said: “for the sake of the people of Maldives I will not accept the crown and the throne”. So, a referendum was held and Maldives became a republic. But the republic was short lived and a revolution was brought by the people of Male, while the President was in Ceylon for medical treatment.
Mid 1953 Anarchy. The people of Male’ appointed Velaanaagey Ibraahim Didi, the vice president of Amin as the head of the government. Amin Didi was not aware of these events which had taken place in his absence and he returned to the country ignorant of what had happened. As soon as Amin Didi returned, for his own safety he was taken to Dhoonidhoo island and was kept there under the government’s supervision but was treated in the same manner as a head of state in the Maldives. Four months after being taken to Dhoonidhoo, secret letters were exchanged between him and Ibrahim Hilmy Didi, to bring an end to this revolutionary government and to restore the monarchy, with Ibrahim Hilmy as the king and Amin Didi as the prime minister. One night Amin Didi arrived in Male and tried to take control of Bandeyrige enraging the people of Male’ so much that he was nearly beaten to death. After that, he was thrown into a small boat (bohkuraa) near Male’. Later, the leaders of this small rebel group who wanted Mohanmed Amin as their leader were brought to court including Mohamed Amin Didi, Ibrahim Hilmy Didi and Shamsuddin Hilmy. These people were sentenced to exile. Mohamed Amin was banished to Kaafu Atoll, Gaafaru, Ibraahim Hilmy was banished to K. Gulhi and Shamsuddin Hilmy was banished to K. Himmafushi.
August 21, 1953 September 2, 1953 Decline and fall of Amin Didi’s hold on power.
March 7, 1954 Ibrahim Muhammad Didi (died October 6, 1981) acting president when Muhammad Ibrahim Didi was banished.
19 January 1954. Muhammad Amin Didi’s health deteriorated, he was brought to Vihamanafushi Island (now Kurumbaa village), where he died.
1950s Political history in Maldives was largely influenced by the British military presence in the islands.
March 7,1954-November 11, 1968 Muhammad Fareed Didi was king of Maldives.
1954 After the fall of President Mohamed Amin Didi, a referendum was held and 98% of the people voted in favor of restoration of the monarchy, so the country was again declared a Sultanate. A new peoples majilis was elected, as the former “People’s Majilis” was dissolved after the end of the revolution. The members of the special majilis decided to take a secret vote to elect a sultan, and Prince Mohammed Fareed Didi was elected as the 84th Sultan in 1954. His first Prime minister was Ehgamugey Ibraahim Ali Didi (later Ibraahim Faamuladheyri Kilegefaan).
1956 The United Kingdom obtained permission to reestablish its wartime RAF Gan airfield in the southernmost Addu Atoll, employing hundreds of locals. Maldives granted the British a 100-year lease on Gan that required them to pay £2,000 a year, as well as some 440,000 square metres on Hitaddu for radio installations. This served as a staging post for British military flights to the Far East and Australia, replacing RAF Mauripur in Pakistan which had been relinquished in 1956.
December 11. 1957 The prime minister was forced to resign and Velaanagey Ibrahim Nasir was elected as the new prime minister the following day.
1957 The new prime minister, Ibrahim Nasir, called for a review of the agreement in the interest of shortening the lease and increasing the annual payment, and announced a new tax on boats.
1959 Nasir was challenged in 1959 by a local secessionist movement in the three southernmost atolls that benefited economically from the British presence on Gan. This group cut ties with the Maldives government and formed an independent state, the United Suvadive Republic with Abdullah Afif as president and Hithadhoo as capital. The short-lived state (1959–63) had a combined population of 20,000 inhabitants scattered over Huvadu, Addu and Fua Mulaku. Afeef pleaded for support and recognition from Britain in the edition of 25 May 1959 of The Times of London
January 3, 1959-September 23, 1963 The United Suvadive Republic declared. Suvadive Islands was a short-lived breakaway nation in the remote southern atolls of the Maldive Islands (Addu Atoll, Huvadhu Atoll and Fuvahmulah) that constitute the Suvadive archipelago. The Suvadive secession occurred within the context of the struggle of the Maldives’ emergence as a modern nation still shackled by feudal and autocratic structures. The alleged causes were the centralistic policies of the Maldivian government and the recent independence of its neighbors India and Ceylon.
1960 The Maldives had allowed the United Kingdom to continue to use both the Gan and the Hitaddu facilities for a thirty-year period, with the payment of £750,000 over the period of 1960 to 1965 for the purpose of Maldives’ economic development.
1961 The initial British measure of lukewarm support for the small breakaway nation was withdrawn when the British signed a treaty with the Maldives Islands without involving Afeef. Following that treaty, the Suvadives had to endure an economic embargo.
1962 Nasir sent gunboats from Malé with government police on board to eliminate elements opposed to his rule.
September 23, 1963 The Suvadive republic was scrapped and Abdullah Afif went into exile to the Seychelles, where he died in 1993.
1964 Women granted vote in Maldives
July 26, 1965 Maldives gained independence under an agreement signed with United Kingdom. The British government retained the use of the Gan and Hitaddu facilities. After this, the sultanate continued for another three years under Muhammad Fareed Didi, who declared himself King rather than Sultan.
1966 Male International Airport started.
November 15, 1967 A vote was taken in parliament to decide whether the Maldives should continue as a constitutional monarchy or become a republic. Of the 44 parliamentarians, forty voted in favor of a republic.
March 15, 1968 A national referendum was held, in which 81.23% of the votes cast favored establishing a republic.
November 11, 1968 Maldives was declared a republic thus ending the 853-year-old monarchy which was replaced by a republic under the presidency of Ibrahim Nasir, the former prime minister. Under the new constitution, Nasir was elected indirectly to a four-year presidential term by the Majlis (legislature) and his candidacy later ratified by referendum. He appointed Ahmed Zaki as the new prime minister.
3rd October 1970 The first resort in the Maldives Kurumba Maldives, welcomes guests.
1973 Nasir was elected to a second term under the constitution as amended in 1972, which extended the presidential term to five years and which also provided for the election of the prime minister by the Majlis.
March 1975 Newly elected prime minister Zaki was arrested in a bloodless coup and was banished to a remote atoll. Observers suggested that Zaki was becoming too popular and hence posed a threat to the Nasir faction.
1976 The British base in Maldives was closed as part of the larger British withdrawal of permanently stationed forces ‘East of Suez’ initiated by Labor government of Harold Wilson.
1970s The economic situation in Maldives suffered a setback when the Sri Lankan market for Maldives’ main export of dried fish collapsed. Adding to the problems was the British decision in 1975 to close its airfield on Gan. A steep commercial decline followed the evacuation of Gan in March 1976. As a result, the popularity of Nasir’s government suffered.
December 1977 The first accurate census was held in December 1977 and showed 142,832 persons residing in Maldives.
1978 As Ibrahim Nasir’s second term was coming to an end, he decided not to seek re-election.
June 1978 The Majlis was called upon to nominate a presidential candidate. Nasir received 45 votes (despite his stated intention not to seek re-election), with the remaining 3 votes for Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, a former university lecturer and Maldivian ambassador to the United Nations.
16 June 1978 Another ballot was called. Gayoom received 27 votes, allowing his name to be put forward as the sole candidate.
June 1978 Gayoom was elected the new President of the Maldives, with 92.96% of the votes (he would be later re-elected five times as the sole candidate). The peaceful election was seen as ushering in a period of political stability and economic development in view of Gayoom’s priority to develop the poorer islands. Maldives’s 20-year period of authoritarian rule under Nasir abruptly ended when he fled to Singapore. A subsequent investigation claimed that he had absconded with millions of dollars from the state treasury. However, there has been no evidence so far and as a result it was believed that this was a propaganda act of the new government to get popularity and support among the citizens.
1978 Maldives joined the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. Tourism also gained in importance to the local economy, reaching more than 120,000 visitors in 1985. The local populace appeared to benefit from increased tourism and the corresponding increase in foreign contacts involving various development projects.
1980s There were three attempts by Nasir supporters and business interests to overthrow Gayoom’s government – in 1980, 1983 and 1988.
1983 Elections. Gayoom received more than 90% of votes.
1988 The third coup attempt in November 1988 alarmed the international community, as about 80 armed mercenaries of the PLOTE Tamil militant group landed on Malé before dawn aboard speedboats and succeeded in controlling the capital city and many government offices. This attempted coup against Gayoom’s rule was toppled by Indian military intervention (Operation Cactus) after help was requested by Gayoom. Nineteen people reportedly died in the fighting, and several taken hostage also died. Mercenaries, and later also the mastermind of the attempted coup, were tried and sentenced to death, later commuted to life in prison. Some were later pardoned.
1988 Elections. Gayoom received more than 90% of votes.
1993 Elections. Gayoom received more than 90% of votes.
Late 1990s Independent political movements emerged in Maldives, which challenged the then-ruling Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (Maldivian People’s Party, MPP) and demanded democratic reform.
20 September 2003 Violent protests broke out in Malé on 20 September 2003 after Evan Naseem, a prisoner, was killed in Maafushi Prison, after the most brutal torture, by prison staff. An attempt to cover up the death was foiled when the mother of the dead man discovered the marks of torture on his body and made the knowledge public, therefore triggering the riots. A subsequent disturbance at the prison resulted in three deaths when police guards at the prison opened fire on unarmed inmates. Several government buildings were set on fire during the riots. As a result of pressure from reformists, the junior prison guards responsible for Naseem’s death were subsequently tried, convicted and sentenced in 2005 in what was believed to be a show trial that avoided the senior officers involved being investigated. The report of an inquiry into the prison shootings was heavily censored by the Government, citing “national security” grounds. Pro-reformists claim this was in order to cover-up the chain of authority and circumstances that led to the killings.
2003 The dissident journalist Mohamed Nasheed rose to challenge the autocratic rule of Gayoom. Nasheed was imprisoned a total of 16 times under Gayoom’s rule. Persisting in his activism, he founded the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) in 2003 while in exile. His activism, as well as civil unrest that year, pressured Gayoom into allowing for gradual political reforms.
13 August 2004 There were fresh protests in the capital city of Maldives, Malé on Black Friday, which appear to have begun as a demand for the release of four political activists from detention. Beginning on the evening of 12 August 2004, up to 5,000 demonstrators got involved. This unplanned and unorganized demonstration was the largest such protest in the country’s history. Protesters initially demanding the freeing of the pro-reformists arrested on the afternoon of 12 August 2004. As the protest continued to grow, people demanded the resignation of president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who had been in power since 1978. What started as a peaceful demonstration ended after 22 hours, as the country’s darkest day in recent history. Several people were severely injured as personnel from the Maldivian National Security Service (NSS) – later Maldivian National Defence Force – used riot batons and teargas on unarmed civilians. After two police officers were reportedly stabbed, allegedly by government agents provocateurs, President Gayoom declared a State of Emergency and suppressed the demonstration, suspending all human rights guaranteed under the Constitution, banning demonstrations and the expression of views critical of the government. At least 250 pro-reform protesters were arrested. As part of the state of emergency, and to prevent independent reporting of events, the government shut off Internet access and some mobile telephony services to Maldives on 13 and 14 August 2004.
26 December 2004 Following the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, the Maldives were devastated by a tsunami. Only nine islands were reported to have escaped any flooding, while fifty-seven islands faced serious damage to critical infrastructure, fourteen islands had to be totally evacuated, and six islands were destroyed. A further twenty-one resort islands were forced to close because of serious damage. The total damage was estimated at more than US$400 million, or some 62% of the GDP. 102 Maldivians and 6 foreigners reportedly died in the tsunami. The destructive impact of the waves on the low-lying islands was mitigated by the fact there was no continental shelf or land mass upon which the waves could gain height. The tallest waves were reported to be 14 feet (4.3 m) high.
June 2005 As a result of these activities, political parties were eventually allowed. The main parties registered in Maldives are: the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), the Dhivehi Raiyyithunge Party (DRP), the Islamic Democratic Party (IDP) and the Adhaalath Party, also known as the Adhaalath Party. The first party to register was the MDP headed by popular opposition figures such as Mohamed Nasheed (Anni) and Mohamed Latheef (Gogo). The next was the Dhivehi Raiyyithunge Party (DRP) headed by then-President Gayoom.
12 August 2005 New civil unrest broke out in Malé, Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll and Addu Atoll of the Maldives which led to events that supported the democratic reform of the country. This unrest was provoked by the arrest of Mohamed Nasheed – an open critic of the president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom – and the subsequent demolition of the Dhunfini tent, used by the members of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) for their gatherings. Supporters of MDP were quick to demonstrate. They started calling for the resignation of Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, soon after Nasheed’s arrest. Several arrests were made on the first night followed by the demolition of the Dhunfini tent. The demolition complicated the situation further provoking the unrest.
14 August 2005 The unrest grew violent on the third night, on 14 August 2005, due to the methods used in the attempts by the authority to stop the demonstration. The unrest continued intermittently for three nights, from 12 to 14 August 2005. By 15 August 2005, the uprising was controlled with the presence of heavy security around Malé. Almost a fourth of the city had to be cordoned off during the unrest.
August 2008 The protest movements brought about significant change in political structure. A new Constitution was ratified in August 2008, paving the way for the country’s first multi-party presidential election two months later.
October 2008 Presidential Elections. Standing as the DRP candidate, Gayoom lost in the election’s second round, in which he received 45.75% of the vote against 54.25% for his opponents.
10 November 2008 Nasheed announced an intent to create a sovereign wealth fund with money earned from tourism that could be used to purchase land elsewhere for the Maldives people to relocate should rising sea levels due to climate change inundate the country. The government reportedly considered locations in Sri Lanka and India due to cultural and climate similarities, and as far away as Australia.
11 November 2008 MDP’s Presidential Candidate Mohamed Nasheed accordingly succeeded Gayoom as President with Gaumee Itthihaad’s Candidate Mohammed Waheed Hassan in the new post of Vice President.
2009 Parliamentary Elections. Maldivian Democratic Party of President Nasheed received the most votes with 30.81%, gaining 26 seats, although Gayoom’s MPP, with 24.62% of the vote, received the most seats (28).
October 2009 Cabinet meeting was held underwater (ministers wore scuba gear and communicated with hand signals) to publicize to the wider world the threat of global warming on the low-lying islands of the Maldives.
May 1, 2011 Peaceful protests broke out in Maldives. The continue, eventually escalating into the resignation of President Mohamed Nasheed in disputed circumstances. Demonstrators were protesting what they considered the government’s mismanagement of the economy and were calling for the ouster of President Mohamed Nasheed. The main political opposition party in the country, the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (Maldivian People’s Party) led by former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom accused President Nasheed of “talking about democracy but not putting it into practice.” The primary cause for the protests was rising commodity prices and a poor economic situation in the country.
16 January 2012 President Nasheed ordered the military to arrest Abdulla Mohamed, the Chief Justice of the Criminal Court. Protests intensified. Maldives police joined the protesters after refusing to use force on them and took over the state-owned television station forcibly switching the broadcast opposition party leader Maumoon Abdul Gayoom’s call for people to come out to protest. The Maldives Army then clashed with police and other protesters who were with the police. All this time no one of the protester tried to invade any security facility including headquarters of MNDF. The Chief Justice was released from detention after Nasheed resigned from his post.
7 Feburary 2012 President Muhammad Nasheed resigned. Vice President Mohammed Waheed Hassan Manik was sworn as the new president of Maldives.
23 February 2012 The Commonwealth suspended the Maldives from its democracy and human rights watchdog while the ousting was being investigated, and backed Nasheed’s call for elections before the end of 2012. Many countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom, were quick to abandon Nasheed, instead endorsing his successor. (The United States backtracked in late 2012 in response to widespread criticism).
12 July 2012 Former President Nasheed’s supporters clashed with the security personnel during a rally seeking ouster of President Waheed.
8 October 2012 Nasheed was arrested after failing to appear in court to face charges that he ordered the illegal arrest of a judge while in office. However, his supporters claim that this detention was politically motivated in order to prevent him from campaigning for the 2013 presidential elections.
March 2013 The former president Nasheed was convicted under the country’s terrorism laws for ordering the arrest of an allegedly corrupt judge in 2012 and jailed for 13 years. Maldives’ international partners – including the EU, US, UK and the United Nations – have said his rushed trial was seriously flawed following a UN panel ruling in the former president’s favour. The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has called for his immediate release. Nasheed appealed also to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. At the time Nasheed was jailed, President Mohammed Waheed Hassan announced a presidential election would be held in 2013.
7 September 2013 Presidential elections were held in the Maldives under a two-round system. The result of the initial vote held on 7 September 2013 was annulled by the Supreme Court.
9 November 2013 The election was re-run. No candidate achieved majority support.
16 November 2013 A run-off election (delayed by Supreme Court decree) was held on 16 November. Abdulla Yameen, half-brother of president Gayoom, was elected President. Yameen implemented a foreign policy shift towards increased engagement with China, establishing diplomatic relations between the two countries. Yameen employed Islam as a tool of identity politics, framing religious mobilization as the solution to perceived Western attempts to undermine Maldivian national sovereignty. Yameen’s policy of connecting Islam with anti-Western rhetoric represented a new development.
28 September 2015 There was an assassination attempt on President Abdulla Yameen as he was returning from Saudi Arabia after the hajj pilgrimage. As his speedboat was docking at Male there was an explosion on board. Amid screams, the right door of the boat fell on the jetty and there was heavy smoke. Three people were injured, including his wife, but the President managed to escape unhurt.
24 October 2015 In a probe into the assassination attempt, Maldives vice president Ahmed Adheeb was arrested at the airport upon his return from a conference in China. 17 of Adheeb’s supporters were also arrested for “public order offences”. The government instituted a broader crackdown against political dissent. Though the popular image of the Maldives is that of a holiday paradise, its radicalized youths are enlisting in significant numbers to fight for ISIL militants in the Middle East.
4 November 2015 President Abdulla Yameen declared a 30-day state of emergency ahead of a planned anti-government rally. The next day, as per the State of Emergency bill made by the President, the people’s Majlis decided to rush the process for the removal of Vice president Ahmed Adeeb by a no confidence vote that was submitted by PPM Parliament than the originally intended period. As a result, the Majlis passed the no confidence vote with a majority of 61 members favouring it, removing Adeeb from the post of Vice President in the process.
10 November 2015 President Yameen revoked the State of Emergency citing that no imminent threats remained in the country.
