Vice President of the MaldivesHussain Mohamed Latheef People's Majlis Speaker Abdul Raheem AbdullaDeputy Speaker Ahmed Nazim Presidential elections Parliamentary elections Referendums Others Minister Moosa Zameer The constitution sets out the rights and duties of the citizens of Maldives and defines the structure of the government of the Maldives.

Beginning in the 1950s, The United Kingdom obtained permission to reestablish its wartime RAF Gan airfield in the southernmost Addu Atoll, employing hundreds of locals.

Maldives granted the British a 100-year lease on Gan that required them to pay £2,000 a year, as well as some 440,000 square metres on Hitaddu for radio installations.

This served as a staging post for British military flights to the Far East and Australia, replacing RAF Mauripur in Pakistan which had been relinquished in 1956.

In 1957, however, the new prime minister, Ibrahim Nasir, called for a review of the agreement in the interest of shortening the lease and increasing the annual payment, and announced a new tax on boats.

But Nasir was challenged in 1959 by a local secessionist movement in the three southernmost atolls that benefited economically from the British presence on Gan.

This group cut ties with the Maldives government and formed an independent state, the United Suvadive Republic with Abdullah Afeef as president and Hithadhoo as capital.

The short-lived state (1959–63) had a combined population of 20,000 inhabitants scattered over Huvadu, Addu and Fua Mulaku.

In 1962, Nasir sent gunboats from Malé with government police on board to eliminate elements opposed to his rule.

The base was closed in 1976 as part of the larger British withdrawal of permanently stationed forces 'East of Suez' initiated by the Labour government of Harold Wilson.

The islands thus achieved full political independence, with the ceremony taking place at the British High Commissioner's Residence in Colombo.

[citation needed] On 15 November 1967, a vote was taken in parliament to decide whether the Maldives should continue as a constitutional monarchy or become a republic.

On 15 March 1968, a national referendum was held on the question, and 81.23% of those taking part voted in favour of establishing a republic.

[citation needed] The Second Republic was proclaimed in November 1968 under the presidency of Ibrahim Nasir, who had increasingly dominated the political scene.

[8] Under the new constitution, Nasir was elected indirectly to a four-year presidential term by the Majlis (legislature) and his candidacy later ratified by referendum.

In March 1975, newly elected prime minister Zaki was arrested in a bloodless coup and was banished to a remote atoll.

[9] He was credited with many other improvements such as introducing an English-based modern curriculum to government-run schools and granting vote to Maldivian women in 1964.

Clarence Maloney, a Maldives-based U.S. anthropologist, lamented the inconsistencies of the "Dhivehi Latin" which ignored all previous linguistic research on the Maldivian language and did not follow the modern Standard Indic transliteration.

As Ibrahim Nasir's second term was coming to an end, he decided not to seek re-election and, in June 1978, the Majlis was called upon to nominate a presidential candidate.

Whereas the 1980 and 1983 coup attempts against Maumoon's presidency were not considered serious, the third coup attempt in November 1988 alarmed the international community, as about 80 armed mercenaries of the PLOTE Tamil militant group landed on Malé before dawn aboard used cargo vessels which had taken almost 2 days to arrive Male' and failed in controlling the capital city.

[8] The plan was ill-prepared and by noon the PLOTE militants and the Maldivian allies fled the country realising they had already lost.

Although the government did not allow any legal opposition, Maumoon was opposed in the early 1990s by the growth of Islamist radicalisation and by some powerful local business leaders.

[12] He lost to Mohamed Nasheed, an activist and politician who has been criticizing Maumoon's government, won with 54% of the votes while Gayoom only had 45%.

On 29 June 2010, Nasheed's entire cabinet resigned and alleged that the opposition parliament members are power grabbing making it impossible for the ministers to execute their responsibility.

[28] In 2015, former president Mohamed Nasheed was found guilty on terrorism charges and was sentenced to 13 years in prison which many calls politically motivated.

[33][34][35] In November 2015, Ahmed Adeeb was removed as Vice President following a no confidence motion against him by the parliament.

[37] In June 2016, in an investigation titled "Stealing Paradise" by Al Jazeera which uncovered corruption and islands being leased at discount prices without public tender.

[38] In 2018, Yameen unveiled Sinamalé Bridge, which connects Malé, Velana International Airport & Hulhumalé with the help of the Chinese government.

[49] Solih's government had increased the use of Renewable Energy Sources such as solar power to reduce the country's reliance on imported fossil fuels.