About
Mohamed Nasheed, born 17 May 1967 in Malé, is a Maldivian politician. A prominent pro-democracy activist, he was imprisoned multiple times in the 1990s and 2000s. Exiled in Sri Lanka and the UK, he co-founded the Maldivian Democratic Party in 2004. In 2008, he defeated incumbent President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, becoming the country's first democratically elected president. His tenure focused on climate change, including the world's first underwater cabinet meeting in 2009. He resigned in 2012 under disputed circumstances. After a controversial terrorism conviction in 2015, overturned in 2018, he served as Speaker of Parliament from 2019 to 2023. He survived an assassination attempt in 2021.
* 1967-05-17
Key milestones
- 2008Elected first democratically elected President of the Maldives, defeating Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.
- 2009Held the world's first underwater cabinet meeting to highlight climate change threats.
- 2012Resigned the presidency under disputed circumstances he characterized as a coup d'état.
Themes
DemocracyClimate changeHuman rightsClimate resiliencePolitical activism
Sources: presidency.gov.mv · majlis.gov.mv · britannica.com