Vice President of the Maldives explained

Post:Vice President
Body:the Republic of Maldives
Native Name:ދިވެހިރާއްޖޭގެ ރައީސުލްޖުމްހޫރިއްޔާގެ ނާއިބު
Insignia:Emblem of Maldives.svg
Insigniasize:50px
Insigniacaption:State Emblem of Maldives
Termlength:Five years, renewable
Residence:Hilaaleege Malé
Flag:Flag of the President of Maldives.svg
Flagborder:yes
Flagcaption:Presidential Standard
Incumbent:Hussain Mohamed Latheef
Incumbentsince:17 November 2023
Appointer:President of Maldives
Inaugural:Ibrahim Muhammad Didi
Salary:MVR 93,000/US$6059 monthly[1]

The vice president of the Republic of Maldives is the second-highest official in the executive branch of the government of the Maldives, after the president of the Maldives, and ranks first in the presidential line of succession. The vice president is directly elected together with the president to a five-year term of office.

Ibrahim Muhammad Didi was the first vice president, and was an appointee, while Mohammed Waheed Hassan was the first elected vice president.

The vice president is the first in the line of succession to the presidency in the event of the president's death, resignation, or removal from office.

The current office-holder is Hussain Mohamed Latheef who was sworn in on 17 November 2023.

The Office of the Vice President

The post of the Vice President are described in article 112 of the constitution as follows:[2]

Articles 117 and 122 then goes on to describe the Responsibilities of the Vice President.[2]

As a result of these responsibilities, the Office of the Vice President and its duties are determined by the President. Under the current government, President Nasheed has charged the Vice President's office with implementing a plan to become Carbon Neutral by 2020, as well as to tackle a drug problem which affects more than half of the youth population.

The First Vice President

The first Vice President of the Maldives was Ibrahim Muhammad Didi of Rayyithunge Muthagaddim Party, who was appointed to the position by President Mohamed Amin Didi (1 January 1953 to 2 September 1953). On the terms that the vacancy of the office of the President leads to the succession of the Vice President to presidency, Ibrahim Didi also served as acting president from 2 September 1953 to 7 March 1954 after the banishment of Mohamed Amin Didi.

Ibrahim Nasir appointed several of his cabinet ministers as Vice Presidents following the dismissal of Prime Minister Ahmed Zaki.

The Maldives did not have Vice Presidents during the rule of Muhammad Fareed Didi and the Presidency of Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.

The First Elected Vice President

Under the new constitution created the constitutional assembly and ratified by President Gayoom on 7 August 2008, the post of Vice President was once again created with the duties described above.[3]

Under the new constitution, Dr. Mohammed Waheed Hassan of the Gaumee Itthihaad Party became the first elected Vice President of Maldives and was sworn into office on November 11, 2008. Mohamed Nasheed was elected into office as the President of the Maldives and together they effectively ended the 30 year rule of then Asia's longest serving ruler President Gayoom.[4]

Dr. Waheed was the senior most Maldivian in the United Nations when he retired from it in June 2008, in order to return to the Maldives and become politically active. While in the UN, Dr. Waheed was the head of UNICEF for South Asia, Afghanistan, Yemen, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Turkmenistan. Dr. Waheed was the First Maldivian to receive a PhD having done so from the prestigious Stanford University, having specialized in International Development.[5]

He has been involved in politics in Maldives since 1989 when we won a Parliamentary seat with the highest number of votes recorded up to that point. However, he was forced out of the country after having pursued a bill on human rights that was not looked favored upon by the administration at the time. Dr. Waheed then spent 16 years working for UNICEF.[5]

Dr. Waheed is currently married to Ilham Hussain and has three children. Their eldest daughter Widhadh (32) is an architect and owns an IT firm in California. Their second daughter Fidha (29)is a PhD student in East West psychology at the California Institute of Integral Studies, and their son Salim Waheed (23) is in his final year at Stanford University, studying Political Science.[6]

Oath of Office of the Vice President

The oath of office of the Vice President is described verbatim in the Maldives constitution.

I, …(name of person)…, do swear in the name of Almighty Allah that I will respect the religion of Islam, that I will uphold the Constitution of the Republic of Maldives and the fundamental rights of the Maldivian citizens, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the Republic of Maldives, and will discharge the duties and responsibilities of the office of Vice President honestly and faithfully in accordance with the Constitution and laws of the Republic of Maldives.

List of vice presidents

See main article: article and List of vice presidents of the Maldives.

Vice President Inaugurated Left office President
1 January 1953 2 September 1953 Mohamed Amin Didi
Abdul Sattar Moosa Didi, Ahmad Hilmy Didi, Ibrahim Shihab, Ali Umar Maniku,[7] [8] [9] Hassan Zareer[10] October 1975[11] May 1977[12] Ibrahim Nasir
Mohammed Waheed Hassan Manik[13] 11 November 2008 7 February 2012 Mohamed Nasheed
Mohammed Waheed Deen[14] 25 April 2012 10 November 2013 Mohammed Waheed Hassan Manik
Mohamed Jameel Ahmed[15] 17 November 2013 21 July 2015 Abdulla Yameen
Ahmed Adeeb Abdul Ghafoor[16] 22 July 2015 5 November 2015 Abdulla Yameen
Abdulla Jihad[17] 22 June 2016 16 November 2018Abdulla Yameen
17 November 201817 November 2023Ibrahim Mohamed Solih
Hussain Mohamed Latheef17 November 2023IncumbentMohamed Muizzu

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: 19 December 2023 . Committee OKs pay hike for president, ministers . English . Sun . live . 20 December 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231220074526/https://en.sun.mv/86587 . 20 December 2023 .
  2. Web site: Constitution of Maldives . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20231110130328/https://storage.googleapis.com/presidency.gov.mv/Documents/ConstitutionOfMaldives.pdf . 10 November 2023 . 10 November 2023 . The President's Office.
  3. News: Buerk . Roland . 7 August 2008 . Maldives adopt new constitution . . live . 10 November 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231110132548/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7547725.stm . 10 November 2023.
  4. http://www.miadhu.com.mv/news.php?id=8384 www.miadhu.com.mv, Nasheed sworn in as Maldives new President
  5. Web site: About President Waheed - President Mohamed Waheed . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20231110133121/https://www.drwaheed.com/about . 10 November 2023 . 10 November 2023 . President Mohamed Waheed.
  6. Web site: Dr. Mohamed Waheed Hassan - The President's Office . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20231110133503/https://www.presidencymaldives.gov.mv/PO/FormerVP/10 . 10 November 2023 . 10 November 2023 . The President's Office.
  7. Web site: CHIEFS OF STATE AND CABINET MEMBERS OF FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20231110135918/https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP86T00608R000100240039-4.pdf . 10 November 2023 . 10 November 2023 . Central Intelligence Agency - US.
  8. Web site: The President's Office - Press Releases . 2017-10-13 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171006213333/http://presidencymaldives.gov.mv/Index.aspx?lid=11 . 2017-10-06 . dead .
  9. News: Abdul Sattar Moosa Didi passes away: National Flag to be flown at half-mast . vnews . dead . April 15, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190415213154/http://vnews.mv/54702 . April 15, 2019.
  10. Web site: Asia Yearbook. 1978.
  11. Book: Chiefs of State and Cabinet members of foreign governments / National Foreign Assessment Center. 1975July-Dec.. HathiTrust. 2003. 2027/osu.32435024020034.
  12. Book: Chiefs of State and Cabinet members of foreign governments / National Foreign Assessment Center. 1977Jan-June.. HathiTrust. 2003. 2027/osu.32435024019994.
  13. Web site: Dr. Mohamed Waheed Hassan - The President's Office . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20231110133503/https://www.presidencymaldives.gov.mv/PO/FormerVP/10 . 10 November 2023 . 10 November 2023 . The President's Office.
  14. Web site: Mohamed Waheeduddeen - The President's Office . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20231110135617/https://www.presidencymaldives.gov.mv/PO/FormerVP/9 . 10 November 2023 . 10 November 2023 . The President's Office.
  15. Web site: Dr. Mohammed Jameel Ahmed - The President's Office . 10 November 2023 . The President's Office.
  16. Web site: Ahmed Adheeb Abdul Ghafoor . https://web.archive.org/web/20231110134351/https://www.presidencymaldives.gov.mv/PO/FormerVP/2 . 10 November 2023 . 10 November 2023 . The President's Office.
  17. Web site: Abdulla Jihad - The President's Office . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20231110134320/https://www.presidencymaldives.gov.mv/PO/FormerVP/11 . 10 November 2023 . 10 November 2023 . The President's Office.