Maldives

Maldives was an independent Sultanate from 1153 until the Portuguese invaded in 1558. They ruled for a short span of 15 years until overthrown in 1573. On December 16, 1887 the Sultan of the Maldives signed a contract with the British Governor of Ceylon turning the Maldives into a British protectorate. The Maldives gained independence on July 26, 1965 and became a republic on 11 November 1968. It joined the Commonwealth in 1982.

Under the current constitution which came into effect in January 1998, the President is Head of State, Head of the Government, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and of the Police of the Maldives, Head of the Judiciary, and is the supreme authority to propagate the tenets of Islam. Political parties are not allowed in the Maldives and candidates are elected on a personal basis in local constituencies.

President Gayoom is Asia's longest-serving leader. He was re-elected for a record sixth five-year term in 2003, having first taken office in 1978. The Maldives has been relatively stable under his rule, despite attempted coups in the 1980s.

Faced with demonstrations for political and social change, President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom chose to react with force, using police crackdowns and news censorship. In this climate, democratic leader and journalist Mohamed Nasheed was arrested a few weeks after his return from exile. The management of the daily Minivan, launched in July 2005 by people close to the Maldivian Democratic Party, have suffered repeated lawsuits and arrests.

The Maldives was hit by the December 2004 Asian tsunami. Homes and resorts were devastated by the waves, precipitating a major rebuilding programme.

To read Hari Kunzru's article on Maldives, please click here.