Mohamed Nasheed

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Mohamed Nasheed bigraphy, stories - Maldivian politician

Mohamed Nasheed : biography

17 May 1967 –

Mohamed Nasheed (Dhivehi: މުހައްމަދު ނަޝީދު; born 17 May 1967) is a Maldivian politician and one of the founders of the Maldivian Democratic Party, who served as the fourth President of the Maldives from 2008 to 2012., he was imprisoned more than twenty times for his opposition to long-time President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom. He played a role in the 2003 Maldives civil unrest by requesting an autopsy on murdered teenage prisoner Hassan Evan Naseem, and his own arrest sparked the 2005 Maldives civil unrest.

In the October 2008 presidential election, an opposition coalition defeated Gayoom in the second round, assuming office on 11 November 2008. On 7 February 2012 Mohamed Nasheed resigned in front of local media from his presidency under disputed circumstances, following weeks of protests by opposition which had then been joined by majority of military and police forces. The next day, Nasheed stated that these protesters had joined with "powerful networks" of Gayoom loyalists to force his resignation in a coup d’état, and that he was forced to resign "at gunpoint" by police and army officers. Nasheed’s successor Mohammed Waheed Hassan denied these claims and stated that the transfer of power was voluntary and constitutional. On 30 August, the Maldives’ National Commission of Inquiry stated that it had found no evidence to support Nasheed’s version of events, a verdict supported by the US and the Commonwealth of Nations.

Presidency

2008 presidential election

In the 2008 Presidential campaign, Nasheed ran for the post of President on an MDP ticket, with Mohammed Waheed Hassan from Gaumee Itthihaad as the Vice Presidential candidate; this was the first time the country had held a multiparty presidential election by popular vote. In the first round, Nasheed and Waheed placed second with 44,293 votes (24.91%), behind President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom of the governing Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP), who received 71,731 votes (40.34%).

In the Second Round of elections, President Nasheed’s MDP, created a coalition with Dr. Hassan Saeed (Gaumee Itthihaad), Gasim Ibrahim (Jumhoory Party), Sheih Hussain Rasheed (Adhaalath Party, Islamic Party), Ibrahim Ismail (Social Democratic Party) and Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik (Gaumee Itthihaad).

In the second round, Nasheed and Waheed were backed by the unsuccessful first round candidates (Watan Edey Coalition) and won 54.25% of the vote against 45.75% for Gayoom.

Following the election, Nasheed and Waheed were sworn in as the President and Vice President of the Maldives on 11 November 2008 in a special session of the People’s Majlis at Dharubaaruge.

Cabinet

President Mohamed Nasheed’s first cabinet included 14 Ministers. The posts were handed to politicians from the coalition with respect to the contribution to the "Watan Edhey" Coalition. As per the coalition agreement, President Nasheed created the first ever Islamic Ministry in the Maldives, with a cabinet post representing it.

Within four months after his first cabinet was formed, President of Jumhoory Party, Qasim Ibrahim resigned as Home Minister. This was followed by the President of Gaumee Party, Hassan Saeed, Civil Aviation Minister Mohamed Jameel Ahmed, and Attorney General Fathimath Dhiyana Saeed. The next appointment for the Attorney General, Husnu Suood, also resigned, followed by Finance Minister Mohamed Inaz.

Later the remaining main party in the Coalition, Adhaalath Party (Islamic Party) cut ties with the ruling MDP, citing religious matters. By the end of the first year of his presidency, President Nasheed’s cabinet contained only ministers from the ruling party.

Policies

Nasheed at the launch of the Climate Vulnerability Monitor With regard to the threat posed to the very low-lying islands by changes in sea level caused by global warming, in March 2009 Nasheed pledged to set an example by making the Maldives carbon-neutral within a decade by moving to wind and solar power. He argued that the cost of the change would be no higher than what the Maldives already spends on energy. As part of a wider campaign by international environmental NGO 350.org’s campaign publicising the threats of climate change and its effects on the Maldives, Nasheed presided over the world’s first underwater cabinet meeting on 17 October 2009, off the island of Girifushi with the meeting participants underwater in scuba diving gear. The following month, Nasheed founded the Climate Vulnerable Forum, an association of countries affected disproportionately by climate change.