The Missing Years: 2020-2025

Tourism minister sacked.

Ibrahim Faisal was abruptly dismissed for undisclosed reasons. 

Speaker Abdul Raheem Abdulla decried his son’s sacking as unjustified and confirmed rumours of a rift with President Dr Mohamed Muizzu, fueling speculation about a split in the ruling party. But the parliamentary group leader denied media reports about Abdul Raheem’s imminent impeachment, and declared that “100%” of MPs in the pro-government supermajority were loyal to the president.

Malé flooded after record rainfall. 

After the delayed onset of the northeast monsoon, 109.8 millimetres of rain from 3pm to 6pm set a record for a three-hour period. 

Household damage worth MVR 2.2 million (US$142,670) was the worst in the capital’s history. More than 740 homes, businesses, schools and warehouses sought help from the National Disaster Management Authority, which provided temporary shelter to 226 people. Eight other islands reported swell surges and flooding from torrential downpours.

Free Trade Agreement with China comes into force. 

Reversing course after the previous administration put implementation on hold, the government touted duty-free fisheries exports and a potential US$300 million boost to trade with China. 

But the opposition warned that the country’s first bilateral trade deal will disproportionately benefit China and imperil Maldivian economic sovereignty. 

An MoU was signed with the People’s Bank of China in September for "promoting the settlement of current account transactions and direct investments in local currencies.”

Tourist arrivals reach a record two million for the year

The two millionth tourist was Astrid Dirnegger, an Austrian national who arrived on her third trip to the Maldives. 

China was the top source market with 263,042 tourists as of 30 December, followed by Russia, UK, Germany and Italy. There were 172 resorts, 15 hotels, 929 guesthouses and 155 safari vessels in operation by the end of the year. 

Under-fire HDC boss resigns over corruption scandal.

Public sentiment was especially inflamed as internal documents and forged registries leaked online concerned housing, the most sensitive and combustible issue in Maldivian society. 

Calls for accountability from ruling party lawmakers followed reports of factional strife within the government. As pressure mounted, Ibrahim Fazul Rasheed denied fraudulently awarding land plots to ineligible applicants of the former government’s housing scheme. He told the press it was a “coincidence” that the new landowners included his brother Mohamed Fazeel Rasheed, deputy managing director of the water company. 

The brothers were placed under investigation along with several Housing Development Corporation and housing ministry officials, all of whom were barred from traveling overseas. A day after his resignation, police raided Fazul’s residence and seized MVR 1.4 million in cash.  

Vaping ban takes effect. 

The import of e-cigarettes, vaping devices and related products as well as their use, possession, manufacture, sale, advertising and free distribution were prohibited with hefty fines.

In November, the price of a pack of cigarettes went from MVR 100 to MVR 250 after the government hiked tobacco tariffs.  

New Foreign Currency Act ratified with exchange controls. 

The new law made it mandatory for tourist establishments and large corporations to convert a portion of foreign currency earnings into Maldivian Rufiyaa. 

Faced with a revolt from resort operators, the government offered the option of exchanging 20% of monthly foreign currency income instead of US$500 per tourist as proposed by the central bank.

Massive fire destroys housing ministry office in Malé.

Shortly after it was reported around 6:30am, the fire completely engulfed the building - which also housed the construction ministry - and spread to the environment ministry and city council offices in the compound. 

It took more than six hours to bring it under control. The cause and the extent of data loss remained unclear.    

Constitution amended with anti-defection clauses.

As the opposition and civil society cried foul, the amendments were pushed through in less than 24 hours. 

The new provisions effectively empowered parties to enforce their whip with the threat of removal from office.

President Muizzu secures financial lifeline on maiden visit to India.

A US$ 400 million currency swap agreement “will be instrumental in addressing the foreign exchange issues we are currently facing,” President Dr Mohamed Muizzu said after official talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, lauding India as the “first responder” that has “stood by the Maldives during our times of need.” 

The official visit came after efforts to repair strained ties in an apparent U-turn from an anti-India stance. 

The Indian bailout shored up depleted foreign currency reserves after credit ratings agencies Fitch and Moody’s downgraded the Maldives to “junk” status over a high risk of default. Gross international reserves stood at $322 million at the end of September 2024, barely enough to cover imports for a month and far short of debt service needs of about $700 million in 2025 and over $1 billion in 2026.

International bunkering inaugurated

The offshore bunkering and refuelling service was launched in Ihavandhippolhu in the northernmost atoll by the State Trading Organisation in partnership with Vitol. 

The government hoped to carve out a small market from hundreds of cargo ships that pass through the busy 8-degree channel between the Maldives and India. But no foreign vessel refuelled in Ihavandhippolhu over the next two months.

Bank of Maldives reverses suspension of foreign transactions.

The national bank abruptly blocked international payments with debit cards linked to local currency accounts. 

Amid a public outcry and panic among Maldivians overseas, the government intervened and forced the bank to reverse the restrictions six hours later. The aborted move was part of a coup attempt in collusion with the opposition, Muizzu alleged. 

Austerity measures announced to avert debt crisis.

Months after Muizzu announced his intention to enact austerity measures, the government belatedly hiked tourism-related taxes but hesitated to cut spending that would directly affect the public. 

Phasing out blanket subsidies for fuel, electricity, food, and sanitation, all of which were to be replaced with targeted assistance to low-income households, was pushed back to 2025.

State minister accused of using black magic against first couple.

Fathmath Shamnaz was detained for over three weeks for allegedly performing sorcery or black magic to seduce Muizzu. 

Israeli tourist ban announced.

Nearly eight months after the attention-grabbing announcement that Muizzu had “resolved to impose a ban on Israeli passports,” the decision was yet to be enforced.  

A bill to bar entry to Israeli passport holders languished in a parliamentary committee for five months. Ruling party lawmakers then proposed a targeted ban on Israeli leaders as tourism associations warned of financial repercussions.

India completes drawdown of military personnel. 

Indian soldiers stationed across the country to operate two helicopters and a Dornier aircraft for medical evacuations and search and rescue missions were replaced with civilian personnel. 

The government celebrated their departure as the fulfilment of Muizzu’s main campaign pledge.

Coastal development suspended amid mass coral bleaching.

The Environment Protection Agency ordered a temporary halt to dredging, reclamation, and sand pumping to minimise “further anthropogenic stress on our coral reefs.”

‘Operation Kurangi’ cracks down on undocumented migrants.

The homeland security ministry collected the biometric data of more than 4,000 foreign nationals for regularisation and deported as many in the nationwide effort.

People’s National Congress secures parliamentary supermajority.

Muizzu’s PNC won 66 seats in the 93-member house in a landslide victory.  

Further bolstered by nine independents who joined the ruling party and four seats won by coalition partners, the historic haul rose to a pro-government supermajority of 79 MPs, well above the two-thirds and three-quarters needed respectively to remove judges and pass constitutional amendments.

Sun settles Hilton arbitration payout.

Resort magnate Ahmed Siyam Mohamed’s Sun Travel completed payment of more than US$24 million to the American hotel chain.

The payout was owed as damages over the abrupt cancellation of a management agreement for the Irufushi resort in April 2013.

In August 2015, the Singapore International Arbitration Centre ruled in favour of Hilton. But the arbitral award remained unenforced for eight years as Sun filed legal challenges and appealed decisions.

In April 2023, death threats were made against Dhauru journalists over an article which suggested that political influence over the Maldivian judiciary was behind Sun’s success in stalling and deferring the payment. Both Dhauru journalist Ahmed Naaif and senior editor Ahmed ‘Hiriga’ Zahir “received multiple threats through phone calls and messages,” according to the Maldives Journalists Association.

Siyam personally called Hiriga and demanded the removal of the article. The Sun resorts owner and MP for Dhaalu Meedhoo – who also owns media outlets under the Sun brand – allegedly told the veteran editor that it was “a final warning,” Dhauru reported. A complaint was lodged with the police over the threats, some of which warned of confrontations on the street and advised Naaif to leave the country within five days. Youth loyal to Siyam would not hesitate to “kill or die” for him, Naaif was warned.

The Sun Siyam company, which operates five high-end resorts in the country, also threatened to sue for defamation.

The threats pose “a grave concern for all journalists,” the International Federation of Journalists warned. 

Ex-president Yameen’s conviction overturned.

Concluding the stalled appeal, the High Court ordered a retrial after quashing his 11-year prison sentence on bribery and money laundering charges. 

The sidelined former strongman promptly hit the campaign trail but none of the candidates fielded by his newly-formed People’s National Front won seats in the new parliament.

Chinese research vessels docks in Malé.

Xiang Yang Hong 03 visited for crew rotation and replenishments of stocks after clearance for a port call, according to the Maldives foreign ministry, which assured that the ship would not conduct any research. 

But it departed after skirting Maldivian territorial waters for three months.

Football Association chief faces corruption trial.

Bassam Adeel Jaleel, the former president of the Football Association of Maldives, was accused of embezzling US$1.2 million entrusted by FIFA, world football’s governing body.  

Opposition candidate wins Malé mayoral race.

Adam Azim, the former managing director of the Maldives Transport and Contracting Company, won the by-election amid a dismally low turnout of 32%.

Muizzu meets Xi Jinping on state visit.

Muizzu broke with tradition to make Beijing his first port of call instead of New Delhi. 

Following official talks, the two leaders presided over the exchange of 20 agreements. Details of the pacts were classified. The Chinese government pledged US$130 million in grant aid, most of which would go towards the redevelopment of Malé’s roads, Muizzu told the press upon his return.

Deputy ministers suspended over derogatory remarks against Indian Prime Minister.

Three deputy ministers mocked Narendra Modi as a "clown," "terrorist” and “puppet of Israel” on social media, triggering a diplomatic row and a costly tourism boycott campaign backed by Bollywood celebrities. 

“We may be small but that does not give you the license to bully us,” Muizzu declared in a thinly-veiled rebuke to India upon his return from China a few days later. Hitting back at the remarks, the Indian external affairs minister suggested that a bully would not have provided free vaccines or US$4.5 billion worth of aid.

Amid the spat, Indian coast guard soldiers boarded Maldivian fishing vessels inside the Maldives exclusive economic zone.

13 MDP MPs join PNC.

The defections scuttled the opposition’s efforts to impeach the new president. 

A few weeks later, the new PNC recruits were involved in brawls with their former colleagues as the thinner Maldivian Democratic Party majority rejected ministerial appointments. 

The opposition lawmakers were offered US$200,000 to switch allegiances, the Washington Post reported in a December 2024 exposé on secret talks between MDP leaders and Indian agents to depose Muizzu.   

Rasmalé reclamation inaugurated.

The new administration’s flagship project - to develop a zero carbon city and resolve the capital’s housing crisis - involves the reclamation of 1,153 hectares of land from the Fushidhiggaru lagoon south of Malé.

In a much-derided move, Muizzu pledged to connect the manmade island to Malé via an undersea tunnel. 

His deadline for completing reclamation passed in August 2024 and the contract with the Sri Lankan developer was terminated. 

Porn sites blocked.

At the behest of the new administration, the Communications Authority blocked access to all pornographic websites for the first time in the Maldives.

Muizzu travels to Turkiye on first overseas visit.

After official talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and senior Turkish government officials, Muizzu attended the COP28 summit in Dubai. 

The outcome of the Turkiye visit included the opening of a Maldives embassy in Istanbul and the controversial purchase of military drones from a Turkish company. In March, Muizzu inaugurated the military’s new Air Corps and introduced the unmanned aerial vehicles into service.

Muizzu’s Turkiye trip came after a planned visit to Saudi Arabia was indefinitely postponed for undisclosed reasons.

Charges dropped against Rilwan abduction suspects.

The Criminal Court dismissed terrorism charges raised over the abduction of journalist Ahmed Rilwan in August 2014 and the murder of blogger Yameen Rasheed in April 2017. 

Ismail Abdul Raheem, Ahmed Muaz and Ahmed Ismail, the alleged leader of the ‘Buru’ gang in Malé, were arrested in June 2022 following a breakthrough in investigations by the presidential commission on deaths and disappearances. But the prosecution’s evidence was deemed insufficient to proceed to trial. Following their release, Ismail Abdul Raheem was appointed to a senior post at the Housing Development Corporation. A group of civil society organisations called on the inquiry commission formed by the previous government to publicly disclose its findings.

Yameen falls out with Muizzu.

After skipping Muizzu’s swearing-in ceremony, former president Yameen left the ruling coalition and decided to form a new opposition party. 

He was abandoned by almost the entire leadership and activist cadre of the PPM-PNC, most of whom were now ministers, political appointees and bosses of state-owned enterprises. 

In early 2024, the People’s National Front was registered under his son Zain Abdulla’s name with Yameen as the main founder. On the eve of Eid, riot police cleared out the PNF leadership and founding members as they arrived for the party’s inaugural congress at Ghiyasuddin School despite the private school’s cancellation of the rental agreement. In the clashes that ensued, police used pepper spray to disperse protesters. 

Speaking to the media the following day, Muizzu expressed regret and lamented the deployment of the heavy-handed Specialist Operations police “against my clear instructions.” He ordered an inquiry report by the end of the day. But the PNF dismissed his disavowal as “damage control.”

Muizzu takes oath of office.

Chief Justice Muthasim Adnan administered the oath during a special sitting of parliament in Malé’s Republic Square. 

In his inaugural address, Muizzu made ambitious pledges to develop new cities through land reclamation near Malé. The new cabinet, a mixture of politicians and technocrats, was sworn in on the following day.

Muizzu, the eighth president of the Maldives, was born on 15 June 1978. A native of Haa Alif Vashafaru, he studied in Malé before moving abroad to pursue a degree in structural engineering followed by a masters and PhD in civil engineering in the UK. He earned his PhD from the University of Leeds. Muizzu and First Lady Sajidha Mohamed - a senior scientific officer at the Food and Drug Authority - have three children. 

Charges sought over Ponzi scheme.

The police sought charges against former MP Alhan Fahmy and his brothers over an alleged Ponzi scheme.

The Fahmy family-owned King’s Forex Trading was accused of illegally setting up an investment scheme and collecting funds with the promise of high returns from hundreds of people, many of whom lost their investment. 

The online trading company was revealed to have collected MVR 98 million from 1,864 investors. But MVR 65 million was not paid back. Most of the money was used for cryptocurrency transactions and the rest was transferred to the personal bank accounts of the company’s shareholders, according to the police. 

In January 2023, the police searched Alhan’s home and office and confiscated his phone. In May, the Civil Court ordered King’s Forex Trading to repay MVR 90,000 to an investor.

Ex-VP Adeeb released.

Four days before leaving office, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih pardoned Ahmed Adeeb and former MMPRC chief Abdulla Ziyath, both of whom were serving lengthy prison sentences under house arrest. 

Their release followed Adeeb’s return in mid-September from medical leave in Singapore.

Nasheed resigns as speaker.

Former President Mohamed Nasheed accepted his fate more than five months after the MDP supermajority moved to oust their former leader. 

The long-running impeachment saga paralysed parliament as the speaker and his allies from the MDP’s breakaway party thwarted no-confidence motions against Nasheed and Deputy Speaker Eva Abdulla.

Nasheed later announced “a respite from active politics” and relocated to Ghana to become secretary-general of the Climate Vulnerable Group. 

Dr Muizzu wins presidency. 

The 45-year-old Malé mayor handily defeated President Solih with 54% of the vote in a run-off. 

The incumbent’s loss continued the losing streak of every sitting Maldives president failing to win re-election.

On the following day, Solih authorised former president Yameen’s transfer to house arrest. Upon his triumphant return, Yameen was greeted by President-elect Muizzu as throngs of jubilant supporters gathered outside the former president’s home in Malé.

International media coverage of the election focused heavily on the geopolitical implications. The vote was “overshadowed by India and China,” the New York Times headline read, as Reuters suggested that the outcome could be decisive in their competition for influence. The AFP described the Maldives as located “in a strategically vital position in the middle of the Indian Ocean, astride one of the world's busiest east-west shipping lanes.” 

Opposition candidate leads presidential race.

In a crowded field with a record eight candidates, Muizzu emerged as the surprise frontrunner with 46% in the first round of voting. 

President Solih was the runner up with 39% of the vote as The Democrats candidate peeled off 7% from the MDP base. Reflecting the dominance of the two main parties, the other five candidates all finished under 3% of the vote.

A second round was called since Muizzu fell short of the 50% majority required for an outright victory. Ahead of the run-off, resort magnate Ahmed Siyam Mohamed’s Maldives Development Alliance broke its coalition with the MDP and endorsed Muizzu. The Maldives National Party of former defence minister Mohamed Nazim also backed the opposition candidate. But Umar Naseer, Faris Maumoon and Jumhooree Party leader Qasim Ibrahim decided to stay neutral.  

List of land plot recipients published.

Awarding free land exclusively to Malé natives for the first time in three decades sparked fierce debates on social media. 

Critics argued that the exclusion of migrants to the capital – more than 100,000 non-native residents of Malé from other islands forced to pay exorbitant rents – was unfair, discriminatory and unconstitutional. After decades of migration in search of employment, education and healthcare, 40% of the country’s population was crammed into the 2.2-square mile island of Malé. 

Addressing the criticism, Housing Minister Mohamed Aslam said the government wanted to ensure “breathing space” for native residents of Malé, many of whom live in slum-like conditions after the division of inherited land into smaller plots. State-owned land, reclaimed or otherwise, has always been awarded for free to native residents on other islands as well, he noted.

Under its signature housing scheme, the government planned to award 20,000 people 9,001 land plots from both Hulhumalé and new land to be reclaimed from the Gulhifalhu and Giraavaru lagoons. All adult residents of Malé who were never registered on any other island and who do not own 600 or more square feet were eligible to apply.

Presidential election campaign marred by violence.

Three people were arrested as opposition protesters clashed with riot police ahead of President Solih’s campaign visit to Gaaf Alif Villingili. 

The arrests came after rocks were thrown at police officers as they pushed charging protesters back. Barricades were set up at the island’s harbour to block protesters from supporters gathered to greet the president. 

Echoing the opposition Progressive Party of Maldives’ condemnation of “disproportionate force” used against the Villingili protesters, The Democrats accused the president of “abusing his control over the police to harass and intimidate his political opposition” with Specialist Operations officers in riot gear deployed ahead of campaign trips. The new party condemned the alleged abuse of state resources, removal of opposition banners, and beatings in dispersing and locking down protesters. It noted the arrests of Kudahuvadhoo island council members, Ahmed Mauroof and Ismail Farish, for protesting during the president’s visit, the first of whom was arrested from inside his home while speaking with a megaphone. 

The president’s spokeswoman blamed the main opposition PPM for the campaign unrest on islands, including the attempt to “forcefully enter the cordoned area” in Villingili and an arson attack on an MDP meeting hall in Madaveli.

Supreme Court rejects Yameen's candidacy.

The apex court’s full bench decided that Yameen - who was serving an 11-year prison sentence - was ineligible to contest in September’s polls. 

The constitution states that “if a presidential candidate has been convicted of a criminal offence and sentenced to a term of more than 12 months, three years must have elapsed since his release or pardon.” Yameen’s lawyers asked the court to interpret the provision as referring to a final judgment after the appeal process is exhausted. But the Election Commission’s lawyers and state attorneys argued that Maldivian law does not require finality of judgment for felony disenfranchisement.

Swell waves sweep up drivers on Sinamalé bridge.

A video of motorcyclists on the Hulhumalé highway swept up by swell waves went viral as unusually high surges caused tidal flooding near Malé’s surf point.

Several drivers sustained injuries and the Sinamalé bridge was temporarily closed. The ring road was flooded as waves crashed over the seawall, washing up sand and rocks. According to the Met office, swell surges between six to eight feet hit the capital and other islands during peak tide “combined with local disturbances; wind, ocean current and increase in wave period.”

In a tweet that he later deleted, the Environment Protection Agency’s head blamed “irresponsible development” such as land reclamation without adaptation measures. “More frequent incidences expected at such areas where reclamation reached reef-crest,” he warned.

Muizzu chosen as “backup candidate.”

Malé Mayor Dr Mohamed Muizzu was chosen as a backup candidate if former president Yameen remained barred from contesting September’s presidential election. 

The 48-member PNC senate narrowly chose Muizzu over Madduvari MP Adam Shareef Umar (25 votes to 23 votes). After the secret ballot, Muizzu told reporters that if elected his main priority would be Yameen’s release and declared loyalty to the jailed leader. Faresmaathoda MP Hussain Mohamed Latheef was announced as running mate. 

Uncertainty lingered over Muizzu’s candidacy with the PPM-PNC leadership split over Yameen’s instruction to boycott the election. But ahead of the 7 August deadline for filing candidacy papers, the Progressive Congress Coalition’s joint senate voted against the boycott as a clear majority favoured fielding Muizzu. 

The vote was taken after heated debate over a note from Yameen. The meeting was adjourned as arguments broke out and the police were called to restore order. The proposed boycott was rejected 67-45. 

Yameen asked the senate to reconsider. But shortly after Muizzu submitted his candidacy, Yameen’s lawyer announced that he had relented and accepted the senate’s decision.

Muizzu - who started his political career with the Islamist Adhaalath Party before switching to the Maldives Development Alliance and ending up in the Progressive Party of Maldives - served as housing minister during Yameen’s administration. The mayor’s candidacy was secured after months of reported infighting in the PPM-PNC between rival factions loyal to Muizzu and other leadership figures.

Maldivians designated as terrorist financiers.

The United States designated 20 Maldivians as “key leaders and financial facilitators” of the terrorist groups Islamic State and al-Qaeda. 

Mohamed Ameen, the alleged IS leader in the Maldives, was found guilty of terrorism and sentenced to 27 years in prison in late November 2023.

RDC denies embezzlement of MVR 13 million.

The Road Development Corporation’s managing director and Chief Financial Officer were accused of illegally transferring money out of the company’s bank accounts. 

The police were reportedly alerted by the central bank’s Financial Intelligence Unit. But the flagged money transfers involved petty cash sent to work sites, MD Moosa Ali Manik (Mookey) told Adhadhu. A year after a criminal investigation was launched, police raided Mookey and former CFO Yasir Hassan’s homes. 

Addu Gan airport expansion inaugurated.

Financed by a line of credit from India’s EXIM Bank, a US$17 million contract to develop a new passenger terminal along with a control tower, roads, cold storage and cargo facilities was awarded to India’s Renaatus company. 

Other projects carried out in the southernmost atoll with Indian loan assistance included the construction of 124 kilometres of roads and the reclamation of 190 hectares of land in addition to three new islands designated for tourism development.

Before the massive reclamation was launched, a group of local NGOs urged the government to reconsider the project, citing an environmental impact assessment of incalculable loss to marine ecosystems as sediment plumes generated by dredging could spread to 5km and stay inside the atoll for up to 90 days, “affecting the coral, reef and marine environment.”

Dredging sand from the atoll seabed as planned to reclaim 236.5 hectares and create artificial islands for resorts “will effectively destroy nature, biodiversity and the natural defences and resilience of the atoll,” one of the groups warned in a petition, calling on the authorities to “stop this ecocide and irreversible destruction of Addu Atoll,” which was declared a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 2020.

27-year-old stabbed to death in Addu.

Ahmed Shuveyb from Maradhoo Feydhoo passed away while undergoing treatment for stab wounds in the neck. 

According to the police, Shuveyb was assaulted with a scissor by his brother, Hussain Mawaz, who turned himself in after a warrant was issued for his arrest. A video of the victim lying on the pavement emerged on social media.

Dozen MPs leave MDP to form The Democrats. 

A dozen MPs from Speaker Nasheed’s faction resigned and announced the formation of a new party called The Democrats. 

The MDP has abandoned its core values and become a “den of thieves,” alleged Deputy Speaker Eva Abdulla, The exodus came with the renegade MPs functioning as a de facto opposition group since Nasheed’s loss in the MDP’s primary. 

The rest of the 68-member parliamentary group remained loyal to President Solih.

Travel ban imposed over K-Park apartment scam.

Hassan Mamdhuh, known as ‘Mandey,’ was arrested over the fraudulent sale of apartments from the K-Park Residence, a Korean-style 110-apartment complex under construction in Hulhumalé. 

Mamdhuh, a minority shareholder of the developer Hanbo Company, was accused of taking large sums as payments from several buyers after forging the signature of managing director Shihu Jin, a Chinese national. Both Hanbo and HDC asked the police to investigate the alleged fraud. 

The value of identified transactions was reported to exceed MVR 100 million. In some cases, the same apartment was sold to multiple buyers and discounted rates were offered to sell below market prices. Mamdhuh was later charged with multiple counts of theft, fraud, deception and money laundering.

At a press briefing in December 2023, the Prosecutor General’s office shared photographs of luxury items seized from Mamdhuh’s MVR 8 million penthouse apartment, including high-end handbags, perfume and jewelry.  

New border drawn with Mauritius.

The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea delimited a new maritime boundary between the Maldives and the Chagos archipelago. 

The court in Hamburg, Germany delineated a maritime border within the overlapping exclusive economic zones, which extends 200 nautical miles from the coast according to the 1982 Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Maldivians on social media lamented the purported loss of the country’s territory as opposition politicians alleged “treason.” A “secret” letter by the president that recognised Mauritius’s sovereignty over Chagos – a reversal of a decades-old stance – was blamed for the “loss of 44,000 square km” in the southern EEZ. 

Speaker Mohamed Nasheed – who contends that the Maldives has a historical claim to Chagos – suggested that the Maldives should disregard the tribunal’s decision. The opposition coalition staged a ‘Chagos’ rally in Malé with leaders vowing to impeach and imprison President Solih, accusing his administration of selling Maldivian territorial waters. 

But the attorney general’s office welcomed the tribunal’s judgment on “the most significant issue in dispute, namely the alleged entitlement of Mauritius to a continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles” with a claim of an additional overlapping area of 22,298 square kilometres. The chamber decided unanimously that it was “not in a position to determine the entitlement of Mauritius to the continental shelf” or to delimit the alleged overlapping area.

Fee introduced for plastic shopping bags. 

The rollout of the MVR 2 fee per plastic bag was bumpy as prices spiked overnight from MVR 25 to MVR 220 for a bundle of small bags. 

There was an exemption for garbage disposal. But the government-owned Waste Management Corporation was unprepared to offer bin liners for sale for more than a week.

The fee followed the banned import, production and sale of several types of single-use plastics in December. 

MDP wins Guraidhoo by-election.

Ibrahim Shaaz, the ruling party’s candidate, won the vacant Guraidhoo parliament seat, a first victory for the MDP in a Kaafu atoll constituency. 

Former Guraidhoo MP Ibrahim Riza, who represented the constituency for nearly three terms, passed away on 23 February after battling cancer.

Bribery charges withdrawn against Minister Mahloof. 

The Prosecutor General’s office told the media that the evidence was insufficient to prove guilt. 

Ahmed Mahloof, a former lawmaker, was accused of accepting a US$33,000 bribe from then-tourism minister Ahmed Adeeb to vote for the previous government’s special economic zones legislation in 2014. The youth and sports minister previously claimed he was a “sacrificial lamb” for a corruption scandal whose beneficiaries included sitting lawmakers and top government officials. 

Woman stabbed to death.

Naeema Moosa, a 62-year-old widow who lived alone, was found dead in her home in Noonu Manadhoo. 

More than a month later, three young men were arrested and charged with murder. According to the police, their suspicions of the victim practising sorcery was the motive for the killing.

Census results released.

According to the provisional results of the 2022 census, a total of 515,122 people lived in the Maldives, including 382,751 Maldivians and 132,371 foreigners, about 41% of whom resided in the capital Malé, up from 39% in 2014. 

The census report predicted that the Maldivian population would decline as the average fertility rate per woman (1.7) had dropped below the replacement level needed for growth. The fertility rate was down from 6.4 children per woman on average in the 1990s.

Solih secures MDP ticket with primary victory.

After a bitterly fought contest rife with unrestrained hostility between the campaign teams and an election day marred by brawls at several polling stations, President Solih was declared the winner with 61% of the vote against Speaker Nasheed, who refused to concede over alleged fraud and disenfranchisement. 

The fraught polls marked the culmination of a long-feared MDP split over Solih and Nasheed’s rivalry.

Since the first rumblings in the wake of MDP’s landslide victory in the 2019 parliamentary elections, the rift between the “childhood friends” played out with Nasheed expressing displeasure over government policies on the MDP’s internal messaging groups – which were promptly quoted in the media – followed by apparent reconciliation with Solih. The president acknowledged differences of opinion but maintained that the relationship remained intact. 

As speaker, Nasheed repeatedly excoriated the failure to recover stolen funds or prosecute more than 250 beneficiaries of a historic corruption scandal, who included government ministers and lawmakers. 

In 2020, Nasheed accused Economic Development Minister Fayyaz Ismail of corruption but failed to gather enough support within the MDP to remove him from the cabinet. Solih publicly backed his influential minister. 

After narrowly surviving an assassination attempt in May.2021, the former president sharply criticised Solih’s response to religious extremism as the government withdrew support for hate speech legislation. But in January 2022, he ruled out challenging the 60-year-old for the MDP’s presidential ticket and the pair campaigned together for the Komandoo by-election. 

But growing animosity and infighting spilled over into the public in mid-2022 when MP Imthiyaz Fahmy and Minister Fayyaz ran for MDP chairman. The contest was widely seen as a showdown between rival factions loyal to Nasheed and Solih. Shouting matches erupted during a televised MDP council meeting where Nasheed’s loyalists were outnumbered 15 to 100. Fayyaz went on to sweep the leadership race in May 2022 with 58% of the vote. 

At the closing of a tense three-day MDP congress in August 2022, Nasheed withdrew his proposal for a transition to a parliamentary system. Solih’s faction, which commanded a clear majority of the 1,000-plus delegates, celebrated Nasheed’s capitulation as effectively securing the MDP ticket without a damaging primary fight.

But by December 2022, it was clear that Nasheed was planning to launch his campaign. He visited MDP strongholds to push a public referendum on the system of government. At the ‘Ask Speaker ’forum hosted by parliament, Nasheed accused Solih of sidelining him after working closely together until mid-2019. The president then tried to consolidate power and build his own support base, he suggested.

Yameen jailed for 11 years

Former president Yameen was convicted of bribery and money laundering with a US$5 million fine. 

The 63-year-old opposition leader was found guilty of accepting a US$1 million bribe from former lawmaker Yoosuf Naeem for the no-bid lease of Vaavu Aarah. 

The island was leased for resort development at a discounted acquisition fee of US$2 million.

Taking note of the constitutional prohibition for a sitting president to engage in business dealings, Judge Ahmed Shakeel dismissed Yameen’s defence of having bought US dollars from Naeem in a legitimate currency exchange transaction. 

“The court does not see it as a coincidence that an account under Abdulla Yameen’s name was suddenly reactivated and money was deposited from an account under Yoosuf Naeem’s name,” the judge said, referring to the deposit of a US$1 million cheque less than a week after the resort lease agreement was signed in September 2015. 

Naeem, former MP for Vaavu Felidhoo, was found guilty of bribery and sentenced to three years, two months and 12 days in prison.

The money could not be considered a campaign contribution as there was no record in the then-ruling party’s finances, the judge concluded, citing the legal requirement for donor funds to be handled by the candidate’s agent.

The hearing was delayed for more than two hours as opposition supporters protested outside the courthouse. The Progressive Congress Coalition alleged Indian interference to bar the opposition leader from contesting in the 2023 election, accusing the government of “body-checking the trial judge at gun-point” to deliver a prepared verdict.

Parliament approves goods and services tax hikes. 

With effect in January 2023, GST for the domestic sector rose from 6% to 8% and T-GST – which covers all goods and services provided by the tourism sector – rose from 12% to 16%. 

The tax hike was voted through despite inflation warnings from the central bank and appeals for more notice from the tourism industry. The government insisted it was necessary to restore public finances to a sustainable footing, citing challenges posed by elevated fuel and food prices, and an unaffordable cost of borrowing. 

Both the International Monetary Fund, and the World Bank welcomed the tax hikes and recommended other revenue-raising measures to avert a looming debt crisis. 

Ten killed in deadliest fire in Malé.

Eight Indians and two Bangladeshis died after the fire broke out in a ground floor garage and spread to cramped expatriate quarters upstairs. 

On the top floors raised with wooden decks, 38 people lived in small rooms with a gas cylinder next to each bed. A single window was the only ventilation. The victims were trapped when the fire broke through. 

Two minor fire incidents previously occurred at the garage. But the garage owner speculated that the fire must have started at the staircase as the repair shop had been closed at the time.

As the tragedy prompted renewed concern over the plight of migrant workers, a group of local NGOs condemned the “appalling” failure to combat human trafficking and to ensure equal rights and adequate housing.

On 9 January 2023, a fire at Malé’s auction shop - which sold scrap metal, wood and fibre - destroyed the labour quarters of the city’s council’s foreign employees. The 165 Bangladeshis and one Indian escaped unharmed. 

Audit uncovers theft of diesel fuel

A special audit of the ports authority flagged the loss of MVR 28 million worth of diesel.

According to the Maldives Ports Limited and Fuel Supply Maldives, employees of both state-owned companies covered up the theft of diesel from FSM bowsers with forged procurement documents and delivery notes.

Hanimaadhoo airport project awarded. 

A US$136 million contract to develop the airport in the northernmost atoll was signed with JMC Projects, an Indian company that submitted the winning bid. 

The project, which was financed by a line of credit from the Indian EXIM Bank, was inaugurated by President Solih and visiting Indian External Affairs Minister Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar in January 2023. 

Ahead of the launch, the tourism ministry announced plans to invite bids to develop three new resorts in the northernmost region, which “needs 8000 tourist beds in coming years for smooth functioning” of the Hanimaadhoo airport.  

Minibus service introduced in Malé.

Operated by the Raajje Transport Link, the air-conditioned 20-seater buses cover the main thoroughfares on three routes. 

On the following day, RTL officially launched its ferry service in Shaviyani atoll, covering the three northernmost atolls and completing the first phase of an MVR 800 million project to establish a nationwide ferry network with purpose-built speedboats. 

Ameenee Magu redevelopment begins.

Amid corruption allegations by the city council, the 10-month, MVR 84 million project – which involved developing storm-drainage systems as well as wheelchair access and braille blocks for the disabled – was awarded to the Road Development Corporation in July. 

The state-owned company faced criticism over the uprooting of trees and the slow pace of the work, which was completed months behind in schedule in early 2024.

Young woman’s dismembered body found in Malé apartment.

Shiaau Mohamed Saeed, a 22-year-old woman from Fuvahmulah, was found brutally murdered close to midnight. 

Maldives skating champion Ali Shaahil, 22, was arrested from the crime scene. He was under the influence of drugs at the time and the murder weapon was retrieved along with other evidence, the police revealed at a press briefing. He was reportedly taken into custody in a hazmat suit in order to preserve DNA evidence.

The ninth floor apartment of Henveiru Sheereenvilla was Shaahil’s residence. He did not have a criminal record.

The police declined to provide details about the gruesome murder to respect the wishes of the distraught family. The body was sent to India later in the week to conduct a postmortem.

Thilamalé bridge project launched.

President Solih and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi jointly inaugurated the “Greater Malé Connectivity Project” at a launch ceremony in New Delhi. 

The pair virtually initiated the ‘Pouring Of First Concrete’ in Malé’s industrial village. 

The 6.7km Thilamalé bridge – funded with a US$400 million line of credit and US$100 million grant aid from India and contracted to India’s Afcons Infrastructure – would connect the capital with the nearby islands of Villimalé, Thilafushi, and Gulhifalhu, and facilitate the relocation of the Malé port. 

Six key agreements signed during the president’s third visit to India included a Letter of Intent on Buyer’s Credit funding approval of US$119 million for 2,000 social housing units in Hulhumalé in addition to the 4,000 India-funded flats under construction.

The completion date of the Thilamalé bridge was later extended to September 2026 after the contractor fell far behind schedule. 

Evidence Act ratified with source disclosure powers. 

The International Federation of Journalists and its local affiliate, the Maldives Journalists Association, condemned provisions that allow courts to compel disclosure of sources. 

But the government defended the landmark law and assured that it would “take no step that might harm or obstruct the freedom of the press.” 

The constitution guarantees the right to protect sources of information but the new law introduced exceptions in cases involving acts of terrorism or offences related to national security. 

In September 2022, the government proposed amendments to address concerns of journalists, seeking to more clearly specify the offences, determine factors that must be considered by a judge and limit the power to order disclosure to the High Court. The MJA welcomed the proposed changes but opposed the exception for offences related to national security, “as there is a possibility of misusing the term in the absence of a law defining national security offences in the Maldives.”

Fleeing Sri Lankan President arrives in Maldives 

Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s surprise arrival on a pre-dawn flight sparked a fierce backlash as the Maldives government was accused of helping the disgraced leader escape justice.

Gay sex tape scandal breaks.

Video of Nazim Sattar, a lawyer and brother of former president Nasheed, engaged in homosexual relations with a young Bangladeshi man emerged online. 

Other sex tapes soon emerged of the same Bangladeshi man with former MP ‘Colonel’ Mohamed Nasheed and a police officer. 

All three Maldivian men were arrested. Travel bans were imposed on at least 18 other local men identified from more videos. They included teachers, an imam, a soldier, a customs officer, a parliament employee, an official at the Centre for Quran and staff at various government ministries, many of whom were sacked or suspended. 

The 25-year-old migrant worker, M. D. Alamgiri, who secretly filmed the liaisons, was sentenced to seven months in prison in late August. He was sentenced to an additional two years and nine months on 40 counts of producing pornography. 

Nazim Sattar was sentenced to three months and 26 days under house arrest. The policeman was sentenced to one year and 28 days in prison. All three men were charged with “unlawful intercourse” under the 2014 penal code, which carries a lesser punishment for consensual same-sex relations than the sexual offences law, which prescribes a jail term of up to seven years.

Before they were posted online, the videos were used as blackmail to extort large sums of money, according to the police. 

Protesters storm Yoga Day event.

A group of protesters disrupted an International Yoga Day event at the national stadium  in Malé, chasing away participants and destroying property. 

The British and Indian high commissioners as well as the UN resident coordinator were in attendance. The event was organised by the youth ministry in collaboration with the Indian High Commission. No one was hurt. Riot police used tear gas and pepper spray to disperse the crowd and arrested six of the protesters. 

The incident occurred after religious scholars condemned yoga as forbidden by Islam and called on the government to cancel the annual event. Six more suspects, including two PPM council members and two clerics who spoke at the protest outside the stadium, were arrested a day later. The Islamic ministry suspended the preaching licenses of Sheikhs Fazloon Mohamed and Adam Nishan.

First Maldivian family repatriated from Syrian refugee camp.

The 33-year-old woman and her four children were held in “administrative detention” for a risk assessment at the national reintegration centre. 

Two children born overseas were registered as citizens after a DNA maternity test. 

New rules were gazetted on 23 February 2022 for registering the birth of children born to Maldivians in war zones, allowing for citizenship and birth registration after a court decision. On the same day, the Family Court concluded the first case to establish legal parentage of children born in Syria..

According to the police, 173 Maldivians were known to have joined terrorist organisations in Syria and Iraq as of December 2019, many of whom were killed in battle. Of 59 Maldivians left in Syria at the time, 91% were women and children. Lack of identification documents for children was the main obstacle to bringing back widows who wanted to return.

MDP wins Komandoo by-election.

MDP candidate Mohamed Rashid won the hotly-contested parliament seat with 49% of the vote. 

PPM candidate Moosa Fathuhy trailed with 40% as the candidate of the newly-formed Maldives National Party took 11%. 

The result was incommensurate to the millions spent in an “abuse of state resources“, opposition leaders argued, referring to development projects hastily launched on the three islands in Shaviyani atoll. The PPM vice president also alleged the creation of 50 government jobs and payouts from state assets to coalition party leaders Qasim Ibrahim and Sheikh Imran Abdulla in exchange for throwing their support behind the MDP candidate.

Yameen Rasheed murder suspects convicted

Ismail Haisham Rasheed and Ahmed Zihan Ismail were found guilty over the brutal murder of liberal blogger Yameen Rasheed and sentenced to life imprisonment.

Opposition’s “India Out” protests escalate with arrests. 

Nearly 30 people were arrested as police cracked down on daily protests outside the PPM office in Malé. 

The ‘India Out’ campaign intensified after former president Yameen’s release from prison as he traveled to rally supporters and lead protests on several islands. The government is beholden to India after making a Faustian pact to win the 2018 election, he contended, warning that India was building a military presence and undermining the country’s independence, allegations dismissed as “misguided and unsubstantiated” by the MDP-led ruling coalition.  

The campaign for the expulsion of Indian soldiers continued over the next two years. A protest march in June 2023 featured costumed performers wearing masks of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which the government strongly condemned as a “disrespectful act by the opposition” that “not only provoke hatred, but also promote hostility with the objective of tarnishing the country’s long-standing cordial ties with India.”

Charges raised over Filipino nurse murder.

Charges over the alleged murder of Mary Grace were pressed against her husband Marvin Vargas and his Maldivian lover Haleemath Lamha. 

Both the victim and defendants worked as nurses at the Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital in the capital. Vargas was accused of assaulting and strangling his wife to death in the couple’s residence in Malé after midnight on 19 October 2021. The 24-year-old Maldivian woman was charged with aiding and abetting the murder. 

Mary Grace’s death was reported by her husband as suicide by hanging. But suspicions prompted a police investigation and a postmortem determined that she died of head injuries. 

ACC members resign ahead of impeachment vote

Three members resigned from the Anti-Corruption Commission a day after parliament’s independent institutions committee recommended no-confidence votes over their failure to conclude graft cases. 

The five-member watchdog blamed a lack of adequate time and resources. The outgoing commissioners – including the ACC’s president Mariyam Shiuna, vice president Fathmath Anoola, and member Aishath Abdulla – accused lawmakers of trying to influence their work and alleged “external and internal” efforts to derail investigations. 

The other two members, Ibrahim Shakeel and Ali Ashraf, resigned earlier after the parliament’s oversight committee initiated the dismissal process. The resignations came amid growing frustration over the lack of progress in the investigation of the previous administration’s US$90 million resort lease corruption scandal.

Yameen’s conviction overturned.

The opposition leader was freed from house arrest after the Supreme Court overturned his bribery and money laundering conviction. 

The prosecution failed to conclusively prove that US$1 million in his bank account came from stolen funds, a three-judge panel ruled.

Minimum wage introduced.

Based on research and consultation by an advisory board, monthly pay was set at MVR 4,500 for small businesses, MVR 7,000 for the civil service and medium-sized enterprises, and MVR 8,000 for large businesses such as resorts. 

Micro-enterprises - businesses that do not earn an annual profit of MVR 75,000 - were exempted.

MNP registered.

The newly-formed Maldives National Party led by MPs Mohamed Nazim, Abdulla Riyaz and Ahmed Usham was officially registered. 

MNP leader Nazim, a retired colonel and former defence minister, declared willingness to work with other parties but ruled out cooperation with former president Yameen.

Dhagethi businessman murdered.

The body of 57-year-old Mahmood Abubakuru was found inside a well. 

Shah Alom Mia, a Bangladeshi man known as Salim, was arrested two days later. He confessed in court to killing the victim during an attempted robbery.

MDP MP Ali Riza charged with human trafficking.

The MP for Milandhoo faced charges over the alleged mistreatment and non-payment of salaries for 200 migrant workers employed by his RIX construction company to develop a resort. 

The charges against Riza were dropped in June 2023 as the US State Department expressed concern over “corruption and official complicity in trafficking crimes.” The government failed to “proactively investigate trafficking crimes and did not identify any labour trafficking victims despite the prevalence of labour trafficking indicators among migrant workers” and “did not hold accountable government officials allegedly complicit in human trafficking crimes,” the annual trafficking in persons report noted.

Murdered 13-year-old boy stuffed in suitcase.

The suitcase with the body was found in the Hulhumalé lagoon two days after he was reported missing. 

Two acquaintances of the victim, Ibrahim Zihaan, 27, and a 17-year-old boy, were arrested on charges of murder and sexual abuse. 

Foreign Minister elected UN President.

Abdulla Shahid defeated former Afghan Foreign Minister Zalmai Rassoul 143-48 in a secret ballot.

Nasheed survives assassination attempt.

Former President Nasheed sustained life-threatening injuries after an improvised explosive device was remotely detonated as he walked to his car from his residence in Malé. 

The 53-year-old speaker of parliament underwent surgery for over 16 hours to remove shrapnel and treat wounds to his head, chest, and abdomen.

Adhuham Ahmed Rasheed, 26, who confessed to detonating the IED, was sentenced to 23 years in prison in December 2021. Two other suspects, Abdulla Ali Manik and Mohamed Thasleem, were arrested as the architects of the bomb plot. But they were charged with supporting a terrorist organisation with the former sentenced to five years in prison whilst his co-defendant was acquitted. 

The Prosecutor General’s office decided not to raise charges against Ahmed Fathih over lack of evidence. The terrorism trials of Thahmeen Ahmed, Mujaz Ahmed, Ali Haisham, Mohamed Nazim, Ishaq and Fahmy Ali proceeded at a slow pace.

Muizzu elected Malé mayor.

The former housing minister was elected as mayor of the capital, a stronghold of the MDP, which lost its majority on the city council for the first time. 

But the ruling party fared better in the rest of the country. 

17-year-old killed in gang violence

Ahmed Udhayyu was stabbed to death during a fight between rival gangs in Gaaf Alif Maamendhoo. 

Three adults and a minor were charged over the first gang-related killing since 2019.

National vaccination programme begins. 

With 100,000 doses donated by India, free vaccination was offered to all residents, including undocumented migrant workers. 

By August, 85% of the adult population was fully inoculated.  

Ex-tourism minister charged with sexual assault. 

Ali Waheed was sacked after the alleged sexual abuse of several female staff surfaced in July 2020. 

After the trial started, the former MDP chairman and president of the Jumhooree Party went into exile in the UK when the judge authorised medical leave. 

Three years later, the charges were withdrawn after the victims and witnesses retracted their statements.

Ex-VP sentenced under plea bargain

Ahmed Adeeb, 38, was jailed for 20 years after pleading guilty under a plea deal. 

The charges stemmed from a corruption scandal in which US$90 million was stolen during former president Yameen’s administration, the bulk of which was resort acquisition fees siphoned off through a private company. 

Audit uncovers graft in ventilator procurement 

A compliance audit flagged suspected foul play over US$2 million advance payments made to a Dubai company for 75 ventilators in April 2020. 

Only 15 ventilators were delivered, of which five did not meet specifications. The Anti-Corruption Commission sought criminal charges against 11 officials, including former health minister Abdulla Ameen. But the Prosecutor General declined to press charges, citing the suspension of public finance rules for the pandemic emergency response.

“The upfront payment of 90 per cent of the total value, the use of single source procurement procedures using false information, the absence of a performance and advance payments guarantee, and selecting a brand of ventilators that was not agreed by the Bid Committee in order to award the contract to Executors General Trading all show that an unfair advantage was given to a particular party,” Transparency Maldives observed, calling on the state to ensure accountability and recover lost funds.

Maldives reopens borders.

The Maldives was an outlier as most countries kept their borders sealed at the height of the pandemic. 

Tourists only needed a negative PCR test, an online health declaration and a hotel booking to enter without any requirement to quarantine. The government hoped to take advantage of resorts located on private islands. 

The gamble paid off as tourist arrivals reached the modest target for 2020. Most major airlines followed the lead of Qatar Airways, Emirates and Etihad Airways to resume flights before the peak season in November. More than 94% of resorts were back in operation by the end of the year. By mid-2021, all border control staff and over 95% of resort workers were fully vaccinated. In October 2021, the Maldives welcomed the millionth tourist of the year as arrivals reached 70% of pre-pandemic levels. 

CNN hailed the country as “the biggest 2020 international tourism success story.” The destination has “pandemic travel down to a fine art,” the South China Morning Post reported. A Maldives-India air travel bubble established in August 2020 proved vital as India became the largest source market. Tourists from India, Russia and Eastern Europe helped offset both the low numbers from traditional Western European markets and the complete absence of Chinese tourists.

83-year-old dies in first Covid-19 fatality.

The immunocompromised woman died en route to the hospital. 

The death toll climbed to 48 by the end of the year. Despite the successful rollout of vaccines in early 2021, the country suffered the worst outbreak amid a third wave driven by a new variant. The highest death toll came in May 2021 and accounted for nearly half of all Covid-19 fatalities. 

The public health emergency ended in March 2022 and the number of deaths stood at 316 in December 2023.

Malé placed under lockdown. 

The stay-at-home order for residents of the densely-packed capital came hours after the confirmation of community transmission. 

Movement in and out of the Greater Malé Region was banned. Public transport was suspended to the suburbs of Hulhumalé and Vilimalé. After several extensions, lockdown restrictions were gradually eased by mid-June. But a nightly curfew remained in place. 

Maldives closes borders for first time.

The impact on the tourism-dependent economy was devastating. 

GDP contracted by an unprecedented 33.5% - the third worst in the world in 2020 and far worse than the 13% drop after the Indian Ocean tsunami. More than half of those who sought income support were tourism workers who were either unemployed or put on no pay leave or reduced salaries. 

The World Bank estimated a 10.5 % rise in the poverty rate.

Public health emergency declared. 

The first person to test positive was an Italian tourist on 7 March 2020. 

The emergency response came as more cases were detected from resort islands. Over the next week, government offices, schools and guesthouses were closed. Congregational prayers and travel from resorts to inhabited islands were banned. A 14-day mandatory quarantine was imposed for persons entering the country with resorts converted to quarantine centres.

Maldives rejoins the Commonwealth

Faced with the threat of suspension over political prisoners and the reversal of democratic gains, former president Yameen took the country out of the Commonwealth in October 2016, alleging “unfair and unjust” treatment. 

The Maldives returned as the 54th member of the group a year after his successor took office. The new government also followed Saudi Arabia in restoring ties with Qatar (March 2021) and Iran (March 2023).