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History and Government
History: The Dhivehin, as the islanders are called, are a mixed people of Aryan, Negroid, Sinhalese, Dravidian and Arab descent. The islands were under Muslim control from the 12th century, and then Portuguese rule from 1518 before becoming a dependency of Ceylon (Sri Lanka) in 1645. They became a British Protectorate, with an elected Sultan as head of state, in 1887. The islands became a republic, briefly, in 1953-4 and achieved full independence as a sultanate in 1965. Three years later, the Republic of the Maldive Islands was re-established and Ibrahim Nasir, Prime Minister since 1954, became President. In 1978, President Nasir decided against a third term as President, and was succeeded by Maumoon Abdul Gayoom. Gayoom – the dominant figure in the islands’ politics since then – established a ‘Citizens’ Special Majlis’ (legislature) which began work in 1980 with a brief to revise the constitution. After 17 years of work, the new model constitution was ratified by President Gayoom and came into effect in January 1998. In 1985, the Maldives was a founder member of the South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC) and hosted regional summits in 1990 and 1997.
The recent political agenda has been dominated by two main issues. The first is relations with India. Despite the assistance of Indian troops in putting down an attempted coup in 1988, bilateral relations have been patchy, mainly because of various economic and trade disputes and are now the focus of a permanent commission on technical and economic co-operation. Secondly, the Maldives are among those small low-lying islands – 80 per cent of the territory is less than 1m above sea level – which have become increasingly concerned by global climate changes that threaten their very existence. The government was especially concerned by the American rejection of the Kyoto protocol on greenhouse gas emissions.
Islam is a central feature of the country’s life and is now supervised by a Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, working under direct presidential control. With no formal political parties, the Maldives’ politics are personality based; no credible threat to Gayoom has emerged in the two decades during which he has held power. At the most recent election in October 1998, he received 90 per cent of the vote.
Government: Under the revised constitution which came into effect in 1998, the legislature, or Majlis, has 48 members. Of these, 40 are directly elected for a five-year term in multi-seat constituencies, and the remaining eight are presidential appointees. The president holds executive power assisted by an appointed ministerial cabinet. Outside the capital, however, considerable power is exercised by the atoll chiefs (Atholhu Verins), who are appointed by the president.
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