Maumoon Abdul Gayoom

Maumoon Abdul Gayoom is a Maldivian politician who served as president of the Maldives from 1978 to 2008, presiding over a long period of centralized rule and gradual political change.

2008 Maldivian presidential election: The election that ended Gayoom’s presidency and brought Mohamed Nasheed to power. Its runoff defeat ended Gayoom’s uninterrupted rule and opened a new phase of multiparty government.
Ibrahim Nasir: A Maldivian politician who served as president from 1968 to 1978 before leaving the country. Nasir’s departure created the succession that brought Gayoom to the presidency.
1988 Maldives coup attempt: An attempted coup in November 1988, when armed militants attacked the Maldivian government and India intervened at Gayoom’s request. The attack tested Gayoom’s hold on power and led to decisive Indian military assistance.
Mohamed Waheed Hassan: A Maldivian politician who became president in 2012 after serving as vice president under Mohamed Nasheed. His presidency followed Nasheed’s resignation and exposed competing interpretations of the post-Gayoom political order.
Mohamed Nasheed: A Maldivian politician who became the country’s first directly elected opposition president in 2008. Nasheed defeated Gayoom in the election that brought the long presidency to a close.
Maldives presidential election, 1978: The 1978 election in which Gayoom was selected as the Maldives’ president through the country’s then-indirect electoral system. It marked the beginning of Gayoom’s three decades in office.
Indian intervention in the Maldives, 1988: An Indian military operation that defeated the 1988 coup attempt and restored Gayoom’s government. It preserved Gayoom’s presidency during its most direct armed challenge.
Abdulla Yameen: A Maldivian politician who served as president from 2013 to 2018 and is Gayoom’s half-brother. Yameen’s later presidency continued family-linked politics while diverging from Gayoom’s political alliances.
Maldivian Democratic Party: A Maldivian political party founded in 2003 that became the main opposition to Gayoom’s government. Its organizing helped turn dissent against Gayoom into a national electoral challenge.
Maldives foreign service: The diplomatic service responsible for representing the Maldives abroad and conducting its international relations. Gayoom worked as a diplomat before entering national leadership.

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History of the MaldivesRelated: His long presidency shaped the late twentieth-century state and the movement for political reform.