Abdulla Yameen

Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom عبد الله يامين عبد القيوم
6th President of the Maldives
Incumbent
Assumed office 17 November 2013
Vice President	Mohamed Jameel Ahmed Ahmed Adeeb Abdulla Jihad
Preceded by	Mohammed Waheed Hassan
Personal details
Born	Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom (1959-05-21) 21 May 1959 Malé, Maldives
Political party	Progressive Party of Maldives
Spouse	Fathimath Ibrahim
Children	3
Residence	Hilaaleege
Alma mater	American University of Beirut Claremont Graduate University

Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom (Dhivehi: އަބްދުﷲ ޔާމީން އަބްދުލް ގައްޔޫމް; born 21 May 1959) is the President of the Maldives, in office since 2013. He is the half-brother of former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.

As the presidential candidate for the Progressive Party (PPM), Yameen was elected as President in 2013, defeating Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) leader and former president Mohamed Nasheed in the 2013 presidential elections. He is the second democratically elected president of the Republic of Maldives.

Government service before presidency

President Yameen began his government service in July 1978. Following his undergraduate studies in Beirut, Lebanon, he returned home in mid-1982 and served first as Secretary at the Department of Finance and then as Research Officer at the Research and International Organisations Division of the Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA). On his return after completing his postgraduate studies, President Yameen began what would be a two decade long record of service in the Ministry of Trade and Industries. Among the posts that he had held there were Foreign Trade Development Officer, Undersecretary, Assistant Director, Deputy Director, Director, Director General and then the Minister of Trade and Industries on 11 November 1993.

As the Trade Minister, President Yameen modernised the Maldives’ trade sector, broadening the economy and bringing in more investments to the country. He was a key player in the economic development of Maldives upon becoming a Member of Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) and other international trade and investment organisations.

In addition to his services as the Minister of Trade and Industries (and later as the Minister of Trade, Industries and Labour), President Yameen also served as the Minister of Higher Education, Employment and Social Security (July 2005 – April 2007) and as the Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation (September 2008 – November 2008) during the presidency of former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.

Presidency (2013-present)

After a few years in People’s Alliance (PA), a political party he helped form, Yameen joined the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) in 2010. PPM is the party of former president and Yameen's half-brother Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who had governed Maldives for 30 years. In the first round of voting of the presidential elections in 2013, Nasheed, President Yameen's opponent received 45.45% of the votes and President Yameen received 25.35% of the votes and finished in second place, forcing a second round which Yameen won by 51.39% of votes to Nasheed's 48.61%.

Within President Yameen's Years in office as president, Maldives has seen a great deal of economical progress and an increase in the overall standard of living in the country. The country has never seen such speedy progress in decades.

In the very first two years in office, he brought about an unprecedented reduction of the state budget deficit from double figures to near five percent – the healthiest Fiscal position the country has seen in decades. Efforts such as the ‘2016 Visit Maldives Year’ initiative and mega-infrastructure projects, such as the bridge linking the capital city directly to the airport and the airport expansion, have set the agenda towards widening prospects for growth and gains – the focus being on growing, promoting and putting into place mechanisms towards sustaining and maintaining economic growth well beyond the current administration’s term in office. Development of regional airports is further set to contribute to growth.

The China-Maldives Friendship Bridge (now officially named as Sinamalé Bridge) project, which was launched in 2015, is the first of its kind in the Maldives. It will be 1.4 kilometers long and 20 meters wide, linking Malé’s eastern edge to the western corner of Hulhulé, where Velana International Airport is located. It will provide several lanes for four-wheeled vehicles as well as separate lanes for bicycles, motorcycles, and pedestrians.

Construction of the bridge began in 2016 and following its completion in mid-2018, the bridge will help to improve inter-island transport and economic development in the region by providing a reliable land connection for locals and holidaymakers between the capital Male, the airport, and the new youth city Hulhumalé.

Expansion of the country's main gateway, Velana International Airport is expected to be completed within the second quarter of 2018. The mega project will expand and increase the capacity of the airport to handle more passengers and aircraft. This ambitious project consists of a fuel farm with a storage capacity of 45 million litres and a cargo complex with the capacity to handle 120,000 tonnes, a new Code F 3,400-meter-long, 60-meter-wide runway which is able to cater to the largest of aircraft such as Antonov An-225 and Airbus A380's and a new passenger terminal. Upon completion, the existing runway will be converted into a taxiway, reducing the turnaround time of aircraft at the airport. The new terminal is expected to increase the ability to serve around 8 million passengers from the current rate of 1.5 million passengers a year. The new international passenger terminal will consist of a floor area of 78,000 square meters, the new terminal will have 40 departure checking counters, 38 immigration counters, 12 jetties, and six aero-bridges.

Other new airports are being developed to accommodate to the increase of the influx of more passengers and tourists which is expected to rise in the years to come. New regional airports are being built on islands such as Kulhudhuffushi and existing regional airports such as Gan International Airport have been converted to international airports with international airlines slowly beginning their operations.

The city of Hulhumalé is also being developed under the supervision of president Yameen. The new land required for Phase II of Hulhumalé was reclaimed at the beginning of 2014 and ever since, speedy development has followed through such as construction of roads and other necessary infrastructure. President Yameen has also initiated a grand housing project called 'Hiyaa' to provide sheltering for an estimated 100,000 people. The project under the second phase of Hulhumalé's development will see the construction of 10,080 housing units including flats.

The last quarter of 2015 saw the establishment, via the State Trading Organisation (STO), of a pharmacy on every inhabited island in the Maldives allowing all Maldivians equal access to medicine – this was a long held vision of President Yameen finally come to life. Coupled with the state’s healthcare scheme, access to medicine is the most convenient and the least expensive it has ever been for the first time.

President Yameen has further pledged to improve healthcare facilities to include better treatment of cancer patients and those with heart ailments – in addition to committing towards improving investigative, and other technical capabilities. Furthermore, the new 25-storey high-rise hospital, Dharumavantha Hospital, considered as the biggest investment for the Maldivian Health sector under president Abdulla Yameen's administration, will be a technologically innovative inclusion to the Maldives health sector and promises to deliver enhanced services and would utilize new and improved state-of-the-art equipment. The building is designed to 'shield' radiation while a life support system will be installed to the premises. Furthermore, six floors of the building is designated to national diagnostic center. The building will also have a fully-equipped and enclosed section to store volatile chemicals.Other facilities planned to be included in the building include a gym, hydro-therapy center, rehabilitation suite along with a child care center and a swimming pool. A new medical college which meets the international standards is also being established for the first time ever under the supervision of president Yameen to further revolutionize the health sector in Maldives. Two floors of the new state-of-the-art hospital is designated to the medical college to facilitate the best amenities for the students practicing their MBBS in the medical college in Maldives.

In Addu, a new tertiary hospital is being completed to ensure access to top level healthcare apart from only being available in just the capital city of Malé. To increase the country's revenue and decrease the dependency on just tourism, president Yameen also visions that these projects will sprout a new and additional source of revenue for the economy of Maldives-medical tourism.

In line with President Yameen’s vision harbor protection, sanitation and uninterrupted energy initiatives are being implemented around the nation at a blistering pace, thus ensuring access to clean water and uninterrupted power than in any previous administration in power before in the past – covering a far wider geographic area and acting as an agent of change which will ensure sustainable improvements for generations to follow.

Assassination attempts on President Yameen

President Yameen has faced several threats from opposition and other entities subjecting him to danger since since he took office.

On the 28th of September 2013, an explosion from an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) took place on board the presidential yacht 'Finifenmaa' carrying President Yameen and his wife along with top government officials from the airport island Hulhulé as it was nearing to dock at the presidential jetty, Izzuddeen Faalan in Malé. President Yameen escaped unhurt, but the first lady, a presidential aide, and a bodyguard were injured. The first lady sustained minor fractures to her spine, and remained hospitalized for several months.

Investigations revealed the vice president, some government officials and soldiers had been involved. They all were later found guilty and charged with high treason and terrorism resulting them being sentenced to jail. Former vice president Adeeb was found to have illegally possessed firearms illegally to attempt a coup by eliminating senior government officials as well as masterminding the bomb plot by ordering and bribing few soldiers to plant an IED in the yacht and destroy the evidence as soon as the yacht is taken for investigation following the explosion.

Personal life

Yameen is the son of Sheikh Abdul Gayoom Ibrahim, who was an Office - President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom. He is married to Fathimath Ibrahim Didi and has three children, two sons and a daughter. His wife was injured in a reported assassination attempt on Yameen, which was blamed on Ahmed Adeeb, the former Vice President after being proven guilty.

External links

• Abdulla Yameen sworn in as new Maldivian president at The Times of India
• Yameen sworn in as president of the Maldives at BBC
• Maldivian president Abdulla Yameen inaugurated after Mohamed Nasheed's shock defeat at ABC News (Australia)
• Abdullah Yameen topples favorite in Maldives election at Deutsche Welle