Mohammed Waheed Hassan
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik (; born 3 January 1953) is a Maldivian politician who served as
president of the Maldives The president of the Republic of Maldives () is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of Maldives and the commander-in-chief of the Maldives National Defence Force. The current president is Mohamed Muizzu, who was elect ...
from 7 February 2012 to 17 November 2013, having succeeded to the office following the resignation of President
Mohamed Nasheed Mohamed Nasheed (; born 17 May 1967), also known as Anni (), is a Maldivians, Maldivian politician and activist who served as president of the Maldives from 2008 until his resignation in 2012. A founding member of the Maldivian Democratic Part ...
, under whom he served as
Vice President A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...
. He had previously worked as a news anchor, a teacher, a principle, a
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
international civil servant with
UNICEF UNICEF ( ), originally the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, officially United Nations Children's Fund since 1953, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Development a ...
,
UNDP The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human development. The UNDP emphasizes on developing local capacity towar ...
and
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
, and as a member of the Maldivian Parliament. He assumed the office of president on 7 February 2012, following the resignation of the incumbent,
Mohamed Nasheed Mohamed Nasheed (; born 17 May 1967), also known as Anni (), is a Maldivians, Maldivian politician and activist who served as president of the Maldives from 2008 until his resignation in 2012. A founding member of the Maldivian Democratic Part ...
. Initially, Nasheed claimed that a coup d'état had occurred, however these claims were proved to be false by an independent report from the Commission of National Inquiry. Nasheed initially accepted this report "with reservations", but later refuted it in its entirety. His short tenure in office is regarded as one of the most turbulent periods in Maldivian history. Waheed was subjected to racial abuse during his presidency and was branded a traitor by the supporters of his former ally
Mohamed Nasheed Mohamed Nasheed (; born 17 May 1967), also known as Anni (), is a Maldivians, Maldivian politician and activist who served as president of the Maldives from 2008 until his resignation in 2012. A founding member of the Maldivian Democratic Part ...
. Waheed was defeated in the 2013 election, having received only a little over 5% of the vote. Amid controversy over vote tampering and following a police investigation, the results of that election were later annulled by the Supreme Court of the Maldives, after which Waheed chose not to stand for re-election. Waheed is the oldest person to have been sworn into the office of
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...
, having been sworn in at the age of 59.


Early life and education

Waheed was born to Hassan Ibrahim Maniku and Aishath Moosa. He was the first of ten children. President Waheed attended the
American University of Beirut The American University of Beirut (AUB; ) is a private, non-sectarian, and independent university chartered in New York with its main campus in Beirut, Lebanon. AUB is governed by a private, autonomous board of trustees and offers programs le ...
for four years, studying for two of those years in the midst of the
Lebanese civil war The Lebanese Civil War ( ) was a multifaceted armed conflict that took place from 1975 to 1990. It resulted in an estimated 150,000 fatalities and led to the exodus of almost one million people from Lebanon. The religious diversity of the ...
; completing a bachelor's degree in English Language as well as a diploma in teaching. By 1976, President Waheed returned home to the Maldives, and took up a post teaching the Language at Jamaluddin School. President Waheed taught many students who would become highly influential members of Maldivian society both in the government, as well as in the private sector. Among his students is the popular television comedian Yoosuf Rafeeu (commonly known as Yoosay), along with members of the government such as the former Speaker of the Parliament, Abdulla Shahid. President Waheed also taught many senior civil servants such as the current Elections Commissioner and the Minister for Presidential Affairs Mohammed Hussein. During this time, President Waheed also helped develop the first English language curriculum in Maldivian schools. By September 1976, President Waheed was granted a full scholarship to attend
Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...
in the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. After completing his master's degree in education Planning in 1979, he returned home to the Maldives in order to begin working for the Ministry of Education. During the inauguration of
Television Maldives Television Maldives (TVM) is the public service broadcasting TV channel of the Maldives. It was formed on 29 March 1978. History The station started broadcasting on 29 March 1978 to a very limited audience, 90 television sets around the capita ...
, Waheed was the first presenter and the first person to appear on TV. Subsequently, he completed his PhD in 1989, becoming the first Maldivian to achieve one, also at
Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...
. He remained in the United States for two more years due to the necessity of his newly born son to receive medical treatment. And although he had the opportunity to remain in the United States, he elected to return home, giving up his job as a project manager of a technology firm, in San Francisco. On his return to Maldives from San Francisco (at the end of 1988), he became the director of educational services in the Ministry of Education. He was placed in charge of the Ministry for several months until a new Education Minister was appointed. During this time he also served as a member of the National Council for Dhivehi Language and Literature, a member of the Atolls Development Advisory board, and a member for the Maldives Youth council.


United Nations career

Waheed left Maldives in 1992, and he took a job with
UNICEF UNICEF ( ), originally the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, officially United Nations Children's Fund since 1953, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Development a ...
, working in Tanzania and then Bangladesh. He would later be transferred to the UN Headquarters in New York and made a senior advisor coordinating global policy for
UNICEF UNICEF ( ), originally the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, officially United Nations Children's Fund since 1953, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Development a ...
. In 2001, he was transferred to UNICEF South Asia based in Kathmandu, Nepal, where he headed programs for the region. He was later made the head of UNICEF Afghanistan. Soon, Waheed was asked to return to New York, where he was the UNICEF representative and the Associate Director to the UNDCO. Due to political developments in the Maldives, Waheed retired from the UN, and returned home to try to play a role in bringing democracy to the country. However, as his resources depleted, and as he felt the main opposition party began to favor a more militant approach, Waheed returned to the UN, performing short-term assignments. During his time in UNICEF, Waheed was the head of UNICEF South Asia, Afghanistan, Yemen, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Turkmenistan.


Political career

After completing his education, he returned and stood for Parliament. In 1989, Waheed ran against Gayoom's brother-in-law, Ilyas Ibrahim. Despite this opposition, Waheed won the seat.


2008 presidential election

After his career in the United Nations, Waheed returned to the Maldives once again to stand for the leadership of the newly formed
Maldivian Democratic Party The Maldivian Democratic Party (, ''Dhivehi Rayyithunge Demokretik Paati''; MDP) is the first political party formed in the Republic of Maldives. The party is supportive of the promotion of human rights and democracy in the Maldives. It won ...
(MDP). Waheed lost the leadership election by a narrow margin. Waheed had given up his position in UNICEF. In 2006, after his work with MDP, he took up a consultancy position. In June 2008, Waheed returned to the Maldives and formed his own political party. Later on, most of his party members, including all the senior figures, reverted to MDP: Gaumee Itthihaad. Waheed was chosen as the presidential candidate of Gaumee Itthihaad Party (GIP) in the beginning of September. However, when the election date was announced in early October, GIP formed a coalition with the Maldivian Democratic Party, after being approached by the two other main opposition groups: the New Maldives Movement and the Jumhooree Party. Though Waheed was asked to become the vice presidential candidate for both the other parties, Gaumee Itthihaad chose to form an alliance with the largest opposition party, Maldivian Democratic Party, only days before the deadline for the submission of the candidates names. Mohamed Nasheed who was elected as the presidential candidate of MDP chose Waheed as his running mate in the October 2008 presidential election. This was the first democratic election in the history of the country and ended Gayoom's 30-year reign. After they won the election, Nasheed and his vice presidential candidate, Waheed, were sworn in on 11 November 2008, in a special session of the
People's Majlis The People's Majlis () is the unicameral legislative body of Maldives. It has the authority to enact, amend and revise laws, as outlined in the Constitution of the Maldives. It is composed of 93 members as of 2024. Each year on the first Mon ...
at Dharubaaruge. Waheed was inaugurated as the nation's first democratically elected vice president, the first to serve in the post when it was reinstated after over 50 years.


Coup allegations, the CoNI Report and the Presidency (2012–2013)

On 7 February 2012, Waheed assumed the presidency following the disputed resignation of President Nasheed, who asserted that he was forced to resign at gunpoint in a
coup d'état A coup d'état (; ; ), or simply a coup , is typically an illegal and overt attempt by a military organization or other government elites to unseat an incumbent leadership. A self-coup is said to take place when a leader, having come to powe ...
. A week later, a number of individuals, including Waheed's own brother, Naushad Waheed, accused Mohammed Waheed of complicity in the alleged coup. Waheed was also criticised both by Nasheed's party and several Human Rights organizations and by the international community for several human rights violations that occurred on the 8th of February following clashes between Nasheed's supporters and the Maldives Police. Waheed and his supporters, however, state that the transfer of power was voluntary and constitutional, and have agreed to launch an independent review of the events surrounding Nasheed's resignation.
BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...
reported that Waheed's subsequent appointment of several ministers associated with the former president Gayoom "raised eyebrows", and that "most believe other forces were at play" behind the protests that chased Nasheed from office. On 11 February, Waheed offered a unity cabinet, but this offer was rejected by Nasheed's supporters. On 19 February, Waheed appointed Gayoom's daughter Dhunya Maumoon a State Minister, prompting a new round of criticism, but also appointed Shaheem Ali Saeed, who is "considered progressive". In the weeks following the alleged coup, Nasheed requested that the
Commonwealth of Nations The Commonwealth of Nations, often referred to as the British Commonwealth or simply the Commonwealth, is an International organization, international association of member states of the Commonwealth of Nations, 56 member states, the vast majo ...
threaten the Maldives with expulsion unless new elections are held. The Commonwealth has supported Nasheed's call for early elections, calling on both Nasheed and Waheed to enter talks to arrange new polls before the year's end. Waheed said that early elections could be possible, but that "the conditions have to be right to ensure there will be free and fair elections". On 1 March 2012, Waheed was blocked from opening the Maldivian Parliament by Nasheed, who accused him of breaking a promise to set a date for a new election. On 19 March, he attempted to open parliament again and was once more blocked by Nasheed pro parliamentarians. Four opposition MPs were removed from the building when they tried to physically assault Waheed during his speech. Waheed responded with a speech calling for national unity.
Mohamed Nasheed Mohamed Nasheed (; born 17 May 1967), also known as Anni (), is a Maldivians, Maldivian politician and activist who served as president of the Maldives from 2008 until his resignation in 2012. A founding member of the Maldivian Democratic Part ...
initially claimed that a coup d'état had occurred, however these claims were proven false by an independent report from the Commission of National Inquiry (CoNI). Nasheed initially accepted this report "with reservations", but later refuted it in its entirety. The Commission of National Inquiry was constituted on the 21st of February 2012 and published its report on 30 August 2012. The CoNI was composed of 5 members and two advisors, including representatives of the
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
and
Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...
. Former Supreme Court Justice of Singapore G.P. Selvam was nominated by the Commonwealth to head the Commission. The CoNI's 5 Members also included a representative of Nasheed who was actively involved in the entire process of the report from investigation to drafting, but resigned on 29 August 2012, the day before the CoNI Report was published. Speaking on his resignation, the two advisors - representatives of the United Nations and Commonwealth stated that “Four of the five members f CoNIacted with independence and integrity in carrying out the important task for the future of the nation. The other member ominated by Nasheedwas not at all times willing or able to act independently and resigned the evening before this report was submitted and published... Without any justification, ecreated discord and mistrust in a community which desperately needs reconciliation.” The CoNI Report concluded that "in sum, the Commission concludes that there was no illegal coercion or intimidation nor any coup d’état. The Commission has received no evidence supporting or to substantiate these allegations." "In summary, the Commission’s findings are as follows: * The change of President in the Republic of Maldives on 7 February 2012 was legal and constitutional. * The events that occurred on 6 and 7 February 2012 were, in large measure, reactions to the actions of President Nasheed. * The resignation of President Nasheed was voluntary and of his own free will. It was not caused by any illegal coercion or intimidation. * There were acts of police brutality on 6, 7 and 8 February 2012 that must be investigated and pursued further by the relevant authorities.


2013 Presidential candidacy

On 7 September 2013, Waheed stood as a candidate for the presidency of the Maldives. In his first independent bid for elected office, Waheed was routed in the four-way race which pitted him against three other candidates, amongst them, frontrunner and former president Mohamed Nasheed. Nasheed finished in first place with 45.45% of all valid ballots cast (95,224 votes). Nasheed was trailed by Abdullah Yameen who received 25.40% of the vote share (53,099), Gasim Ibrahim of the Jumhooree Party who received 24.02% of all votes (50,422), and Waheed with only 5.13% of the votes (10,750). The fairness of the results of the 2013 elections has been challenged in the Supreme Court. Various reports suggest duplicates, names of deceased and underaged in the official voter list. Political leaders are insisting on a thorough investigation so as to prevent any vote rigging in the run off. On 24 September 2013 the Supreme Court injunction signed by the majority of four judges of the seven-judge bench asked the commission and relevant state institutions to delay the runoff until the court rules on the case filed by Jumhoory Party (JP) seeking annulment of the first round results alleging vote rigging. Waheed announced his withdrawal from the rerun of the 2013 presidential election later scheduled for 9 November 2013, after polling held on 7 September 2013 was annulled by the Supreme Court.


Post-presidency

After Manik withdrew his nomination in the 2013 presidential elections, he switched parties to the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) in the same year. During his time in the PPM, he was appointed to a speical posiiton within the party. In 2022, he gave a video speech at the China-Indian Ocean Region Forum on Development Cooperation discussing about the effects of
climate change in the Maldives Climate change is a major issue for the Maldives. As an archipelago of List of islands of the Maldives, low-lying islands and Atolls of the Maldives, atolls in the Indian Ocean, the existence of the Maldives is severely threatened by sea level ri ...
. He expressed interest in running for president in the 2023 Maldivian presidential election if president Abdulla Yameen was unable to. He later left the PPM in 2023 citing that he feels that he should be using his skills to benefit Maldivian citizens. In the same year, he joined the Jumhooree Party (JP). In 2025, Manik was appointed by president Mohamed Muizzu as a Special Envoy of the President without renumeration.


Criticism and controversies

It is believed and confirmed by other children of his mother Aishath Moosa that she was subjected to torture during
Maumoon Abdul Gayoom Maumoon Abdul Gayoom ( ; born Abdulla Maumoon Khairi; 29 December 1937) is a Maldivian politician, statesman, diplomat and scholar who served as the 3rd president of the Maldives from 1978 to 2008. He previously served as the Minister of Tra ...
’s tenure and later died from her injuries while her son Naushad Waheed was in prison. He was not allowed to attend her funeral. Waheed was the first Maldivian Vice President to have fully succeeded to presidency, when President
Mohamed Nasheed Mohamed Nasheed (; born 17 May 1967), also known as Anni (), is a Maldivians, Maldivian politician and activist who served as president of the Maldives from 2008 until his resignation in 2012. A founding member of the Maldivian Democratic Part ...
resigned after a mutiny, until November 2013. Nasheed alleged that a coup was staged against him which led to Waheed becoming the president, which he denied the allegations. Critics of Manik called him a "Baghee", an Arabic word for traitor. Many accused Manik of being a traitor and a puppet being controlled by a higher power. Soon after taking office during his first press conference, he infamously asked, ‘Do I look like a man who would stage a coup d’état?’. Although he vehemently denies being part of a coup, during a press conference he revealed, ’I have proud political parties in this country who are backing me. And then I have all the law enforcement agencies’ fully backing me.’


Family

He is married to
Ilham Hussain Ilham Hussain (born May 23, 1955) is a Maldivian health advocate, public figure, and politician who served as the First Lady of the Maldives from 2012 until 2013 during the tenure of President Mohamed Waheed Hassan Mohamed Waheed Hassan Ma ...
, founder of Maldives Autism Association. They have three children: Widhadh, Fidha and Jeffrey Salim Waheed. Jeffery Salim Waheed was posted as Additional Secretary Deputy Minister during Abdulla Yameen’s tenure.


Awards

In 2013, Manik was awarded the Star of Palestine honour by the president of
Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...
Mahmoud Abbas Mahmoud Abbas (; born 15 November 1935), also known by the Kunya (Arabic), kunya Abu Mazen (, ), is a Palestinian politician who has been serving as the second president of Palestine and the President of the Palestinian National Authority, P ...
. In 2024, he was awarded the Global Islamic Finance Leadership Award by Global Islamic Finance Awards for creating the Islamic Bank of Maldives, Hajj Corporation, and
Sukuk Sukuk (; plural of ) is the Arabic name for financial certificates, also commonly referred to as "sharia compliant" bonds. Sukuk are defined by the AAOIFI ( Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions) as "securitie ...
in the Maldives during his presidency.


See also

* List of international presidential trips made by Mohamed Waheed Hassan


References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Waheed Hassan, Mohammed 1953 births Living people Vice presidents of the Maldives Stanford Graduate School of Education alumni 21st-century presidents of the Maldives Maldivian Muslims Politicians from Malé Gaumee Itthihaad politicians Maldivian Democratic Party politicians Candidates for Vice President of the Maldives Candidates for President of the Maldives Progressive Party of Maldives politicians Jumhooree Party politicians Members of the People's Majlis