Editing Maldives (section)

===21st century===
{{Main|History of the Maldives#21st century}}
[[File:The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh along with other Head of State and Government of SAARC Countries, at the inaugural session of the 17th SAARC Summit, at Adu Atoll in Maldives on November 10, 2011.jpg|thumb|250px|[[17th SAARC summit]] in [[Addu City]], Maldives]]

The [[Effect of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake on the Maldives|Maldives were devastated]] by a [[2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami|tsunami]] on 26 December 2004, following the [[2004 Indian Ocean earthquake|Indian Ocean earthquake]]. Only nine islands were reported to have escaped any flooding,<ref>{{Cite report |url=http://www.un.org/special-rep/ohrlls/ldc/MTR/Maldives.pdf |title=Maldives - Country Review Report on the implementation of the Brussels Programme of Action for LDCs |date=January 2009 |publisher=Ministry of Planning and National Development |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921081046/http://www.un.org/special-rep/ohrlls/ldc/MTR/Maldives.pdf |archive-date=21 September 2013 |via=[[United Nations]] |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Aldridge |first=Paul |date=24 March 2010 |title=Maldives Skyscraper - Floating States |url=https://www.evolo.us/maldives-skyscraper-floating-states/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010152057/http://www.evolo.us/architecture/maldives-skyscraper-floating-states/ |archive-date=10 October 2017 |access-date=27 July 2011 |website=eVolo}}</ref> 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 tsunami damage. The total damage was estimated at more than US$400&nbsp;million, or some 62% of the GDP.<ref>{{Cite web |date=20 December 2010 |title=UNDP: Discussion Paper - Achieving Debt Sustainability and the MDGs in Small Island Developing States: The Case of the Maldives |url=http://undp.org.mv/v2/publication_files/4d3d53b1f2a35.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120112232609/http://undp.org.mv/v2/publication_files/4d3d53b1f2a35.pdf |archive-date=12 January 2012 |website=[[United Nations Development Programme]]}}</ref> 102 Maldivians and 6 foreigners reportedly died in the tsunami.<ref name="cnn_sinking" /> 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 {{convert|14|ft|m}} high.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Republic of Maldives - Tsunami: Impact and Recovery |url=http://www.undp.org.mv/v2/publication_files/4b36072ca065c.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120328060124/http://www.undp.org.mv/v2/publication_files/4b36072ca065c.pdf |archive-date=28 March 2012 |access-date=18 September 2015 |website=[[United Nations Development Programme]]}}</ref>

During the later part of Maumoon's rule, independent political movements emerged in the Maldives, which challenged the then-ruling [[Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party]] (Maldivian People's Party, MPP) and demanded democratic reform. The dissident journalist and activist [[Mohamed Nasheed]] founded the [[Maldivian Democratic Party]] (MDP) in 2003 and pressured Maumoon into allowing gradual political reforms.<ref name="brownpoliticalreview.org">{{Cite web |last1=Brecehenmacher |first1=Victor |last2=Mendis |first2=Nikhita |date=22 April 2015 |title=Autocracy and Back Again: The Ordeal of the Maldives |url=https://brownpoliticalreview.org/2015/04/autocracy-and-back-again-the-ordeal-of-the-maldives/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210114164352/https://brownpoliticalreview.org/2015/04/autocracy-and-back-again-the-ordeal-of-the-maldives/ |archive-date=14 January 2021 |access-date=16 May 2024 |website=Brown Political Review |language=en-US}}</ref> In 2008, a new constitution was approved and the [[2008 Maldivian presidential election|first direct presidential elections]] occurred, which were won by Nasheed in the second round. His administration faced many challenges, including the huge debt left by the previous government, the economic downturn following the 2004 tsunami, overspending using overprinting of local currency (the [[rufiyaa]]), unemployment, corruption, and increasing drug use.<ref>{{Cite news |date=7 June 2009 |title=The Quality of Political Appointees in the Nasheed Administration |url=https://raajjenews.blogspot.com/2009/06/quality-of-political-appointees-in.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210114164400/http://raajjenews.blogspot.com/2009/06/quality-of-political-appointees-in.html |archive-date=14 January 2021 |access-date=21 February 2012 |work=Raajje News Blog}}</ref>{{unreliable source?|date=April 2013}} Taxation on goods was imposed for the first time in the country, and import duties were reduced on many goods and services. Universal health insurance ([[Aasandha]]) and social welfare benefits were given to those aged 65 years or older, single parents, and those with special needs.<ref name="cnn_sinking" />

Social and [[2011–2013 Maldives political crisis|political unrest grew in late 2011]], following opposition campaigns in the name of protecting Islam. Nasheed controversially resigned from office after a large number of police and army mutinied in February 2012. Nasheed's vice-president, [[Mohammed Waheed Hassan|Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik]], was sworn in as president.<ref>{{Cite news |date=7 February 2012 |title=Maldives president quits after protests |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2012/2/7/maldives-president-quits-after-protests |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210114164507/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2012/2/7/maldives-president-quits-after-protests |archive-date=14 January 2021 |access-date=6 February 2012 |work=[[Al Jazeera English|Al Jazeera]]}}</ref>
Nasheed was later arrested,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Mallawarachi |first=Bharatha |date=8 October 2012 |title=Mohamed Nasheed, Former Maldives President, Arrested after Failing to Appear in Court |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/08/mohamed-nasheed-maldives-former-president-arrested_n_1947348.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160310062645/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/08/mohamed-nasheed-maldives-former-president-arrested_n_1947348.html |archive-date=10 March 2016 |work=[[HuffPost|The Huffington Post]] |agency=[[Associated Press]]}}</ref> convicted of terrorism, and sentenced to 13 years. The trial was widely seen as flawed and political. The [[Working Group on Arbitrary Detention|UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention]] called for Nasheed's immediate release.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Naafiz |first=Ali |date=20 October 2015 |title=Maldives opposition seeks India's help in jailed leader's release |url=http://www.haveeru.com.mv/news/63227 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151021134808/http://www.haveeru.com.mv/news/63227 |archive-date=21 October 2015 |access-date=24 October 2015 |work=[[Haveeru Daily]]}}</ref>

The [[2013 Maldivian presidential election|election in late 2013]] were highly contested. Former president Nasheed won the most votes in the first round, but the [[Supreme Court of the Maldives|Supreme Court]] annulled it despite the positive assessment of international election observers. In the re-run vote [[Abdulla Yameen]], the half-brother of the former president Maumoon, assumed the presidency.<ref name="brownpoliticalreview.org" /> Yameen survived an assassination attempt in late 2015.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Iyengar |first=Rishi |date=28 September 2015 |title=Maldives President Abdulla Yameen Escapes Unhurt After Explosion on His Boat |url=https://time.com/4051674/maldives-president-abdulla-yameen-boat-blast/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210114164358/https://time.com/4051674/maldives-president-abdulla-yameen-boat-blast/ |archive-date=14 January 2021 |access-date=16 May 2024 |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|TIME]]}}</ref> Vice president [[Mohamed Jameel Ahmed]] was removed from office after a [[no confidence motion]] from the People's Majlis, it was alleged that he was conspiring with opposition political parties and planning riots.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Muhsin |first=Mohamed Fathih Abdul |date=15 February 2021 |title=Was removed from office without being allowed a proper defense: Dr Jameel |url=https://timesofaddu.com/2021/02/15/was-removed-from-office-without-being-allowed-a-proper-defense-dr-jameel/ |access-date=16 May 2024 |work=The Times of Addu |archive-date=9 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240509182244/https://timesofaddu.com/2021/02/15/was-removed-from-office-without-being-allowed-a-proper-defense-dr-jameel/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Vice-president [[Ahmed Adeeb]] was later arrested together with 17 supporters for "public order offences" and the government instituted a broader crackdown against his accomplices. A [[state of emergency]] was later declared ahead of a planned anti-government rally,<ref>{{Cite news |date=4 November 2015 |title=Maldives declares 30-day emergency |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-34718916 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210114164358/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-34718916 |archive-date=14 January 2021 |access-date=16 May 2024 |work=[[BBC News]] |language=en-GB}}</ref> and the People's Majlis (parliament) accelerated the removal of Adeeb.<ref name="majlis.gov.mv">{{Cite web |date=5 November 2015 |title=Majlis passes declaration to remove VP from office |url=http://www.majlis.gov.mv/en/2015/11/05/majlis-passes-declaration-to-remove-ahmed-adeeb-abdul-gafoor-from-the-post-of-vice-president/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160714204131/http://www.majlis.gov.mv/en/2015/11/05/majlis-passes-declaration-to-remove-ahmed-adeeb-abdul-gafoor-from-the-post-of-vice-president/ |archive-date=14 July 2016 |website=People's Majlis}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=10 November 2015 |title=Maldives revokes state of emergency amid global outcry and tourism worries |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/10/maldives-revokes-state-of-emergency |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210114164354/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/10/maldives-revokes-state-of-emergency |archive-date=14 January 2021 |access-date=10 November 2015 |work=[[The Guardian]] |publication-place=Malé, Maldives |agency=Associated Press}}</ref>

[[2018 Maldivian presidential election|In the 2018 election]], [[Ibrahim Mohamed Solih]] won the most votes, and was sworn in as the Maldives' new president in November 2018. Adeeb was freed by courts in Male in July 2019 after his conviction on charges of terrorism and corruption was overruled but was placed under a [[travel ban]] after the state prosecutor appealed the order in a corruption and money laundering case. Adeeb escaped in a [[tugboat]] to [[Asylum seeker|seek asylum]] in India. It is understood that the [[Indian Coast Guard]] escorted the tugboat to the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) and he was then "transferred" to a [[Maldivian Coast Guard]] ship, where officials took him into custody.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Haidar |first1=Suhasini |last2=Radhakrishnan |first2=Hariprasad |date=3 August 2019 |title=Adeeb returns to Maldives, arrested with quiet help from India |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/former-maldives-vice-president-ahmed-adeeb-transferred-to-countrys-authorities-sources/article28806538.ece |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210114164429/https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/former-maldives-vice-president-ahmed-adeeb-transferred-to-countrys-authorities-sources/article28806538.ece |archive-date=14 January 2021 |access-date=3 August 2019 |work=[[The Hindu]]}}</ref>
Former president Abdulla Yameen was sentenced to five years in prison in November 2019 for money laundering. The [[High Court of the Maldives|High Court]] upheld the jail sentence in January 2021.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Zalif |first=Zunana |date=21 January 2021 |title=High Court upholds ex-president's five-year jail sentence |url=https://raajje.mv/94119 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210122005946/https://raajje.mv/94119 |archive-date=22 January 2021 |access-date=16 May 2024 |work=[[Raajje TV]]}}</ref> However, Supreme Court overturned Yameen's conviction in November 2021.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Junayd |first=Mohamed |date=30 November 2021 |title=Maldives' ex-president Yameen walks free after graft conviction overturned |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/maldives-ex-president-yameen-walks-free-after-graft-conviction-overturned-2021-11-30/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220303175531/https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/maldives-ex-president-yameen-walks-free-after-graft-conviction-overturned-2021-11-30/ |archive-date=3 March 2022 |access-date=5 March 2022 |work=[[Reuters]] |language=en}}</ref>

In the [[2023 Maldivian presidential election|2023 election]], [[People's National Congress (Maldives)|People's National Congress]] (PNC) candidate [[Mohamed Muizzu]] won the second-round runoff of the Maldives presidential election, beating incumbent president, 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 |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/maldives-opposition-candidate-muizzu-wins-presidential-vote-2023-10-01/ |access-date=2023-11-10 |work=[[Reuters]] |language=en |archive-date=10 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231110101533/https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/maldives-opposition-candidate-muizzu-wins-presidential-vote-2023-10-01/ |url-status=live }}</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 |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 |work=[[The Times of India]] |issn=0971-8257 |agency=[[Press Trust of India]] |archive-date=24 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231124110555/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/mohamed-muizzu-sworn-in-as-maldives-president-says-will-remove-foreign-troops/articleshow/105303033.cms?from=mdr |url-status=live }}</ref> Mohamed Muizzu is widely seen to be pro-China, meaning souring relations with India.<ref>{{cite news |last=Eguegu |first=Ovigwe |date=24 January 2024 |title=What the China-Maldives-India Triangle Tells Us About 21st Century Balancing |url=https://thediplomat.com/2024/01/what-the-china-maldives-india-triangle-tells-us-about-21st-century-balancing/ |access-date=16 May 2024 |work=[[The Diplomat (magazine)|The Diplomat]] |archive-date=22 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240322102506/https://thediplomat.com/2024/01/what-the-china-maldives-india-triangle-tells-us-about-21st-century-balancing/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2024, ex-President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom was freed from his 11-year conviction and the High Court ordered a new trial.<ref>{{Cite news |date=18 April 2024 |title=Maldives High Court overturns ex-President Abdulla Yameen's prison sentence |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/4/18/maldives-high-court-frees-jailed-ex-president-abdulla-yameen |access-date=16 May 2024 |work=Al Jazeera |archive-date=2 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240502161416/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/4/18/maldives-high-court-frees-jailed-ex-president-abdulla-yameen |url-status=live }}</ref>