1 November 2026
President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has set up a special presidential commission of inquiry to examine how the Maldives conducted itself in a sea boundary case filed against it by Mauritius. A Presidential Decree, No. 2026/17, created the body, using the power the President holds under Article 115(o) of the Maldivian Constitution. Mauritius had taken the dispute to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, where it was heard as Case Number 28 and settled the sea boundary and continental shelf lying between the Maldives and Chagos. Expert studies ordered later concluded that the country gave up a wide stretch of ocean area, together with the fisheries, seabed wealth and other resources inside it. Seven people have been named to the commission, and Uz Ahmed Shakir has been made its President. Among the other members are Dr Aminath Shafiya Adam, Dr Abdul Muhsin Mohamed and a retired Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mohamed Sadiq. Muizzu had first signalled this inquiry in his Presidential Address delivered on 5 February this year.
Presidential Decree:
No. 2026/17
Constitutional clause:
Article 115(o)
Case:
ITLOS Case Number 28
Members:
7, headed by Uz Ahmed Shakir
Why it matters for exams: ITLOS is the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, and the Mauritius-Maldives sea boundary dispute in the Indian Ocean was its Case Number 28; Article 115(o) of the Maldivian Constitution is the clause under which the President creates a commission of inquiry.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
ITLOS International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea — The tribunal set up under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea to decide sea disputes between states.
Chagos Chagos Archipelago — An island group in the central Indian Ocean lying to the south of the Maldives.
30 October 2026
Vice President Uz Hussain Mohamed Latheef has left Male for Antigua and Barbuda at the head of a senior government delegation. He is there for the 28th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, the grouping's summit that is better known by the short form CHOGM. The host country has set the theme of this edition as Accelerating Partnerships and Investment for a Prosperous Commonwealth. Talks are expected to range over economic, environmental and security questions facing member states, along with trade and sustainable development. The Vice President is listed to speak and to make interventions at several of the sessions. The meeting itself runs from the first to the fourth of this month in the Caribbean twin-island state. Member countries use the summit to build cooperation, unlock investment and push inclusive growth.
Edition:
28th CHOGM
Host:
Antigua and Barbuda
Theme:
Accelerating Partnerships and Investment for a Prosperous Commonwealth
Maldives represented by:
Vice President Uz Hussain Mohamed Latheef
Why it matters for exams: CHOGM stands for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting; this was its 28th edition, hosted by Antigua and Barbuda, and the Maldives was represented by Vice President Uz Hussain Mohamed Latheef.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
CHOGM Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting — The summit of Commonwealth leaders, held once every two years in a member country.
28 October 2026
President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has said the chief aim of the Maldives' 2027 State Budget is to finish and hand over no less than 70 per cent of the infrastructure and development works already under way. He set this out in the sixth episode of Nation Chat, a podcast run by Public Service Media, the state broadcaster. The President said the budget was due to go to the People's Majlis on 29 October and has been built around essential public services, with hospitals and schools treated as the works to be closed out first. Looking back at the position when his administration took charge, he said the country stood close to default and that steadying the economy was the first task. Those steps, he said, lifted gross and usable foreign exchange reserves to their highest recorded levels by the start of this year. He promised continued spending controls, a smaller budget deficit, lower national debt and a search for fresh revenue. On the Rasmale housing scheme and similar capital works, he said each has been tied to future income streams so that no extra borrowing falls on the State Budget.
Budget year:
2027 State Budget
Main target:
At least 70 per cent of ongoing projects completed
Placed before:
People's Majlis
Sectors put first:
Hospitals and schools
Why it matters for exams: The budget of the Maldives is called the State Budget and is placed before the People's Majlis, the country's legislature; the stated aim of the 2027 budget is to complete at least 70 per cent of ongoing projects.
Kerala PSCUPSCBank
In plain words
People's Majlis People's Majlis of the Maldives — The single-chamber legislature of the Maldives, which votes the State Budget.
PSM Public Service Media — The state broadcaster of the Maldives.
28 October 2026
President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has announced that the Male City Group of Hospitals will be wound up and a new body called the Maldives Tertiary Hospitals Group put in its place. He made the announcement on the sixth episode of Nation Chat, the podcast series of the state broadcaster Public Service Media. Every government tertiary hospital, including those being raised to tertiary level, will be brought under one administrative roof. The stated purpose is to cut duplication, lift service quality and bring down costs by running the hospitals as a single system. Facilities will be shared across the group, and specialists will be able to work in more than one of its hospitals. Work on atoll hospitals and island health centres is to be lifted in standard at the same time, so that fewer patients need to travel abroad for care. The President said the hospitals would be folded into the new structure within three to four months and that no extra staff would be needed.
New body:
Maldives Tertiary Hospitals Group
Body wound up:
Male City Group of Hospitals
Coverage:
All government tertiary hospitals
Timeline:
Three to four months
Why it matters for exams: The new body is named the Maldives Tertiary Hospitals Group and it replaces the Male City Group of Hospitals as the single administrative structure over all government tertiary hospitals in the Maldives.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Tertiary hospital Tertiary care hospital — A hospital at the top level of referral, offering specialised treatment that smaller hospitals cannot give.
28 October 2026
President Dr Mohamed Muizzu told the China-Maldives Investment Cooperation Forum that his country is open to responsible investment and will work to make such investment succeed. The forum was held alongside Maldives Expo 2026. He said the long maritime trade and movement of people between the two countries has now grown into what the two call a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership. Turning to the China-Maldives Free Trade Agreement, which took effect on 1 January 2025, the President said it gives Maldivian firms a stronger footing in one of the world's biggest markets. He put the value of goods the Maldives imported from China between January 2025 and August 2026 at about USD 440 million, of which roughly USD 124 million, more than a quarter, came in under the Agreement. He argued that the goal should go beyond trade volumes to building value and firmer commercial ties. He invited Chinese companies to work with Maldivian businesses on processing, supply chains and market access, pointing to premium fisheries products, local craft and services.
Agreement:
China-Maldives Free Trade Agreement, in force 1 January 2025
Imports from China:
USD 440 million
Entered under the Agreement:
USD 124 million
Relationship:
Comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership
Why it matters for exams: The China-Maldives Free Trade Agreement is the Maldives' trade pact with China, in force since the start of 2025, and the relationship between the two is described as a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership.
Kerala PSCUPSCBank
In plain words
FTA Free Trade Agreement — A treaty under which two or more countries lower or remove duties on goods traded between them.
21 October 2026
Twenty Memoranda of Understanding between the Maldivian and Pakistani governments were exchanged in the presence of President Dr Mohamed Muizzu and Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif. The Maldives President's Office listed each of the twenty documents together with the ministers who exchanged them. One of the documents covers information technology, cyber security, artificial intelligence, digital skills and technology, and was signed on the Maldivian side by Ali Ihusaan, Minister of Homeland Security, Labour and Technology. A second takes up the fight against illicit trafficking in narcotic drugs, in psychotropic substances and in the chemicals used to make them. Geela Ali, Minister of Health, Family and Welfare, signed papers on social protection, on health cooperation and on the recruitment of health professionals. The health document also links the Maldives Food and Drug Authority with the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan. A separate defence cooperation understanding between the two countries was also part of the set.
Documents exchanged:
20 Memoranda of Understanding
Leaders present:
President Dr Mohamed Muizzu and Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif
Regulators linked:
Maldives Food and Drug Authority and Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan
Why it matters for exams: Twenty MoUs were exchanged between the Maldives and Pakistan, covering fields from cyber security and narcotics control to defence, and one links the Maldives Food and Drug Authority with the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
MoU Memorandum of Understanding — A written understanding between two governments setting out how they will cooperate in a field.
MFDA Maldives Food and Drug Authority — The Maldivian regulator for food and medicines.
8 October 2026
President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has created a set of Government Services Centres across the country through Directive No. 16/2026. He used the power the Maldivian Constitution gives him under Article 116(a), and the Centres are to be run by the Ministry of Homeland Security, Labour and Technology. One Centre has been set up for each of 18 atolls, from Haa Alifu in the far north to Gaafu Dhaalu in the south, taking in Kaafu, Laamu, Thaa and the rest. The idea is to deliver public services from a single integrated counter in each atoll rather than through scattered offices. That requirement comes from Article 65(b)(1) of the Decentralization Act, which is Act No. 7/2010. The directive also fixes the official name of each Centre and the letter code it is to use in government correspondence.
Directive:
No. 16/2026
Constitutional clause:
Article 116(a)
Centres created:
18, one per atoll
Administering ministry:
Ministry of Homeland Security, Labour and Technology
Enabling law:
Decentralization Act, Act No. 7/2010, Article 65(b)(1)
Why it matters for exams: The Government Services Centres were created under Article 116(a) of the Maldivian Constitution and give effect to Article 65(b)(1) of the Decentralization Act, Act No. 7/2010; they are administered by the Ministry of Homeland Security, Labour and Technology.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Atoll Atoll — A ring of coral islands and reef around a lagoon; in the Maldives it is also an administrative division.
4 October 2026
President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has named Shamoon Hameed a member of the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives, known by the short form HRCM. The appointment rests on Article 190(b) of the Maldivian Constitution together with Section 5(a) of the Human Rights Commission Act, which is Act No. 6/2006. At a function at the President's Office, Supreme Court Justice Dr Mohamed Ibrahim administered the oath of membership of the Commission to him. The President then handed over the official letter of appointment. Shamoon Hameed is returning to a body he has served before, first as Director of its Investigation Department and later as its Secretary-General. In that period he was also the Commission's focal point for reporting under the Universal Periodic Review, the UN human rights review mechanism. He comes to the post from the Ministry of Dhivehi Language, Culture and Heritage, where he held the office of Permanent Secretary.
Body:
Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM)
New member:
Shamoon Hameed
Constitutional clause:
Article 190(b)
Statute:
Human Rights Commission Act, Act No. 6/2006, Section 5(a)
Why it matters for exams: HRCM is the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives; its members are appointed under Article 190(b) of the Maldivian Constitution and Section 5(a) of the Human Rights Commission Act, Act No. 6/2006, and Shamoon Hameed is the new member.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
HRCM Human Rights Commission of the Maldives — The national human rights institution of the Maldives, set up under the Constitution and its own Act.
UPR Universal Periodic Review — The process in which every UN member state's human rights record is examined by other states in turn.
1 October 2026
President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has brought into being a wholly state-owned company called National Exchange Limited. It was set up by Presidential Decree No. 16/2026 under Section 15 of the Companies Act, which is Act No. 7/2023 of the Maldives. The company's task is to build and run a government-backed secondary securities market, help meet the State's financing needs and widen the country's Islamic finance sector. Its stated objectives are to take the Maldivian capital market forward on behalf of the government, strengthen integrity and transparency in it, and set up and operate modern securities exchanges and trading facilities. It is also to handle the issue, listing and trading of government securities, of Shariah-compliant Sukuk and of other instruments. Post-trade work is part of the mandate as well, including a central securities depository and clearing and settlement services.
Company:
National Exchange Limited
Ownership:
Wholly State-owned Enterprise
Presidential Decree:
No. 16/2026
Enabling law:
Companies Act, Act No. 7/2023, Section 15
Why it matters for exams: National Exchange Limited is a wholly state-owned Maldivian company created under Section 15 of the Companies Act, Act No. 7/2023, to run a government-backed securities exchange, including trading in Shariah-compliant Sukuk.
Kerala PSCUPSCBank
In plain words
Sukuk Sukuk — Islamic finance instruments that give the holder a share in an asset instead of paying interest.
CSD Central Securities Depository — A body that holds securities in electronic form and completes their transfer after trades.
1 October 2026
President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has called the shift of Male's commercial harbour to the island of Thilafushi a main driver of growth for the Maldives. He said so while touring the site to see how the port relocation project is coming along, and was received there by Maldives Ports Limited Chief Executive Officer Captain Hussain Shafeeq. Officials of Maldives Ports Limited briefed him on construction at the new harbour, which is planned as a larger facility with wider capacity than the one in the capital. The first 100 metres of the quay wall of the inner harbour have been finished, while levelling of land and road work continue. About 40 per cent of the backfilling of the inner harbour is also complete. Precast concrete blocks for the quay wall are being made and the machinery and equipment the port needs are being bought. The President repeated that commercial operations at the new site are to begin by November next year.
New port site:
Thilafushi
Operator:
Maldives Ports Limited (MPL)
Quay wall completed:
First 100 metres of the inner harbour
Backfilling done:
About 40 per cent of the inner harbour
Why it matters for exams: The Maldives is moving its main commercial harbour from the capital Male to the island of Thilafushi, and the state company that runs the country's ports is Maldives Ports Limited, headed by Captain Hussain Shafeeq.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
MPL Maldives Ports Limited — The state-owned company that operates the commercial ports of the Maldives.
Quay wall Quay wall — The vertical wall along a harbour against which ships berth to load and unload.
25 September 2026
President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has said legislation is being drafted to protect a 20-year National Development Master Plan for the Maldives, running up to 2040. He set this out on an episode of Nation Chat, the podcast series of the state broadcaster Public Service Media. Looking back, the President said projects begun by one administration have at times been dropped by the next, which shifted national priorities and cost the country. A plan on paper alone is not enough, he argued, so the law is meant to shield it from political change and carry it across successive governments. The stated aim is a clear development pathway for the Maldives towards 2040. Recalling his speech at the United Nations General Assembly, he said he wanted to show that a small state can still work towards self-reliance and developed status. Presenting that vision abroad, he added, should widen the world's understanding of the country and the openings available to it.
Plan:
National Development Master Plan
Span:
20 years, to 2040
Protection sought:
Legislation to carry it across administrations
Why it matters for exams: The Maldives is preparing a 20-year National Development Master Plan with a horizon of 2040, and a statute is being drafted so that the plan survives changes of government.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
PSM Public Service Media — The state broadcaster of the Maldives, which produces the Nation Chat podcast.
24 September 2026
Vice President Uz Hussain Mohamed Latheef read out the Maldives Statement at a UN high-level plenary meeting on the existential threats that rising seas pose, convened during the 81st Session of the General Assembly. He opened by saying the reply to a rising ocean has to be resilience and never retreat. He reminded the gathering that the Maldives first brought the issue to the Assembly nearly four decades ago, which led to the Male Declaration on Global Warming and Sea Level Rise. He set out three priorities for the world to act on. The first is adaptation finance at scale, which he said must be predictable, accessible, grant-based and concessional for Small Island Developing States, and must arrive early enough to cut risk. He also pressed for a dedicated mechanism to observe sea level rise, arguing that what is not measured cannot be addressed. On law, he held that rising seas must not be allowed to undermine lawful baselines, sea zones or state entitlements, and that statehood, sovereignty and UN membership cannot be challenged even as geography changes.
Forum:
High-Level Plenary Meeting on Addressing the Existential Threats Posed by Sea Level Rise
UN session:
81st Session of the UN General Assembly
Speaker:
Vice President Uz Hussain Mohamed Latheef
Earlier outcome recalled:
Male Declaration on Global Warming and Sea Level Rise
Why it matters for exams: The Maldives' early warning on rising seas produced the Male Declaration on Global Warming and Sea Level Rise, and the country speaks at the UN as one of the Small Island Developing States, the grouping known as SIDS.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
SIDS Small Island Developing States — A UN-recognised group of low-lying island countries that face common problems of size, remoteness and climate risk.
Baselines Maritime baselines — The lines along a coast from which a country's sea zones are measured.