Editing Politics of the Maldives (section)

==History==
{{main|History of Maldives}}
A 1968 [[referendum]] approved a constitution making Maldives a republic with executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government. The constitution was amended in 1970, 1972, 1975, and 1997 and again in 2008.

[[Ibrahim Nasir]], [[Prime Minister of the Maldives|Prime Minister]] under the pre-1968 [[sultanate]], became president and held office from 1968 to 1978. He was succeeded by [[Maumoon Abdul Gayoom]], who was elected president in [[1978 Maldivian presidential election|1978]] and re-elected in [[1983 Maldivian presidential election|1983]], [[1988 Maldivian presidential election|1988]], [[1993 Maldivian presidential election|1993]], [[1998 Maldivian presidential election|1998]], and [[2003 Maldivian presidential election|2003]]. At the end of his presidency in [[2008 Maldivian presidential election|2008]], he was the longest serving leader in Asia.

Since 2003, following the death in custody of a prisoner, [[Hassan Evan Naseem|Naseem]], the Maldives experienced several [[2003 Maldives civil unrest|anti-government demonstrations]] calling for political reforms, more freedoms, and an end to torture and oppression.<ref>{{Cite web |date=10 November 2006 |title=Protests in paradise: Repression in the Maldives |url=https://www.amnesty.org/fr/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/asa290092006en.pdf |access-date=4 September 2024 |website=[[Amnesty International]]}}</ref> As a result of these activities, political parties were eventually allowed in June 2005.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Political Parties - Beginning of political parties in the Maldives |url=https://archive.elections.gov.mv/en/ec/page/political-parties.html |access-date=4 September 2024 |website=[[Elections Commission (Maldives)]]}}</ref> The main parties registered in Maldives are: the [[Maldivian Democratic Party]] (MDP), the [[Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party|Dhivehi Raiyyithunge Party]] (DRP), the [[Islamic Democratic Party (Maldives)|Islamic Democratic Party]] (IDP) and  the [[Adhaalath Party]].<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Registered Political Parties |url=https://archive.elections.gov.mv/en/ec/political-parties/registered-political-parties.html |access-date=4 September 2024 |website=[[Elections Commission (Maldives)]]}}</ref> The first party to register was the MDP headed by popular opposition figures such as [[Mohamed Nasheed]] (Anni) and [[Mohamed Latheef]] (Gogo).<ref name=":2" /> The next was the [[Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party]] (DRP) headed by then-President Gayoom.<ref name=":2" />
 
A new [[Constitution of the Maldives|Constitution]] was ratified in August 2008, paving the way for the country's [[2008 Maldivian presidential election|first multi-party presidential election]] two months later.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Buerk |first=Roland |date=2008-08-07 |title=Maldives adopt new constitution |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7547725.stm |access-date=2024-04-09 |work=[[BBC]] |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref name="Maldives begin historic election">{{Cite news |date=2008-10-08 |title=Voting extended in Maldives poll |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7656655.stm |access-date=2024-04-09 |work=[[BBC]] |language=en-GB}}</ref>

The Maldives have scored poorly on some [[List of freedom indices|indices of freedom]]. The "Freedom in the World" index, a measure of political rights and civil liberties published by [[Freedom House]], judged Maldives as "not free" until May 1, 2009, when it was raised to "partly free".<ref>{{cite web |date=2009 |title=Country Report (Maldives-2009) |url=http://www.freedomhouse.org/template.cfm?page=22&year=2009&country=7655 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101228144942/http://www.freedomhouse.org/template.cfm?page=22&year=2009&country=7655 |archive-date=28 December 2010 |access-date=24 March 2011 |work=Freedom in the World |publisher=Freedom House}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=1 May 2009 |title=Freedom of the media declines worldwide, report says |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2009/US/05/01/press.freedom/index.html?section=cnn_latest |access-date=4 September 2024 |work=[[CNN]]}}</ref> The "Worldwide [[Press Freedom Index]]", published by [[Reporters Without Borders]], ranks Maldives 106 out of 180 in terms of press freedom as of 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Maldives |url=https://rsf.org/en/country/maldives |access-date=24 August 2024 |website=Reporters Without Borders}}</ref>

On 30 September 2023, [[People's National Congress (Maldives)|PNC]]/[[Progressive Party of Maldives|PPM]] candidate [[Mohamed Muizzu]] won the 2023 Maldives [[2023 Maldivian presidential election|presidential election]], beating incumbent president [[Ibrahim Mohamed Solih|Ibrahim Solih]] with 54% of the vote.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Junayd |first=Mohamed |date=2023-10-01 |title=Maldives opposition candidate Muizzu wins presidential vote |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/maldives-opposition-candidate-muizzu-wins-presidential-vote-2023-10-01/ |access-date=2023-11-10}}</ref> On 17 October 2023, Mohamed Muizzu was sworn in as the eighth President of the Republic of Maldives.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2023-11-18 |title=Mohamed Muizzu sworn in as Maldives president, says will remove 'foreign' troops |work=The Times of India |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/mohamed-muizzu-sworn-in-as-maldives-president-says-will-remove-foreign-troops/articleshow/105303033.cms?from=mdr |access-date=2023-11-24 |issn=0971-8257}}</ref>

In April 2024, President Mohamed Muizzu’s pro-China [[People's National Congress (Maldives)|People’s National Congress]] (PNC) won 66 seats in the [[2024 Maldivian parliamentary election]], while its allies took nine, giving the president the backing of 75 legislators in the 93-member house, meaning  a super-majority and enough to change the constitution.<ref name=":3">{{cite news |last1=Rasheed |first1=Zaheena |date=24 April 2024 |title='Absolute power': After pro-China Maldives leader's big win, what's next? |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/4/24/absolute-power-after-pro-china-maldives-leaders-big-win-whats-next |access-date=4 September 2024 |work=[[Al Jazeera English|Al Jazeera]] |language=en}}</ref>