Politics

The politics of the Maldives take place in the framework of a presidential republic, whereby the President is the head of government. Executive power is exercised by the government. The President heads the executive branch and appoints the cabinet; he is nominated to a five-year term by a secret ballot of the Majlis (parliament), a nomination which must be confirmed by national referendum.

The unicameral Majlis of the Maldives is composed of 50 members serving five-year terms. Two male members from each atoll are elected directly by universal suffrage. Eight are appointed by the president. Parties were not allowed until 2005 (after the elections).

The Maldivian legal system, derived mainly from traditional Islamic law, is administered by secular officials, a chief justice and lesser judges on each of the 19 atolls, who are appointed by the president and function under the Ministry of Justice. There also is an attorney general. Each inhabited island within an atoll has a chief who is responsible for law and order. Every atoll chief, appointed by the president, functions as a district officer in the British South Asian tradition.

Political Parties

The country introduced political parties for the first time in its history in July 2005, six months after the last elections for the parliament. 36 members of the existing parliament joined the Dhivehi Raiyyathunge Party (Maldivian People's Party) and elected President Gayoom as its leader. 12 members of parliament became the Opposition and joined the Maldivian Democratic Party, while 2 members remained independent.

Roadmap for the Reform Agenda

In March 2006, President Gayoom published a detailed Roadmap for the Reform Agenda, providing time-bound measures to write a new Constitution, and modernise the legal framework. Under the Roadmap, the government has submitted to the Parliament a raft of reform measures. The most significant piece of legislation passed so far is the Amendment to the Human Rights Commission Act, making the new body fully compliant with the Paris Principles.

Judiciary

All judges in the Maldives are appointed by the president. Islamic law is the basis of all judicial decisions.

The Maldives have, in cooperation with the United Nations Development Project (UNDP), undertaken to write the first Muslim criminal code in the history of the world. This project would formalise the proceedings of criminal justice in this tiny nation to one of the most comprehensive modern criminal codes in the world. The code has been written and awaits action by the parliament.