Maumoon Abdul Gayoom

Maumoon Abdul Gayoom (Maldivian: މައުމޫން އަބްދުލް ގައްޔޫމް, GCMG,(born December 29, 1937) is a politician from Maldives who served as the President of Maldives from 1978 to 2008. After serving as Minister of Transport, he was nominated as President by the Majlis (Parliament) of the Maldives and succeeded Ibrahim Nasir in 1978. Gayoom was defeated in the October 2008 presidential election. In opposition, Gayoom continued to serve as leader of the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party until January 2010, when he retired from active politics. However, in September 2011, he returned to Maldivian politics as the leader of the newly formed Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM).

Career and politics

Education and family life

Mamoon Abdul Gayoom is the son of Abdul Gayoom Ibrahim (Maafaiygey Dhon Seedhi) and Khadheeja Moosa. His father had 125 children from 8 wives. Gayoom is the 11th child of his family.

Gayoom spent most of his youth in Egypt. He was part of a group of 15 students chosen at the initiative of Mohamed Amin Didi to get an education abroad. At the age of 10, in 1947, he embarked for Egypt. However, because of the troubles which led to the Arab-Israeli war of 1948–1949, his layover in Ceylon, scheduled to last several days, lasted for two and a half years during which he studied at Royal College, Colombo.