Following the retirement of President Ibrahim Nasir on 10 November 1978, Mr. Maumoon Abdul Gayoom was elected by 92% of the popular vote as president for the 5-year presidential term beginning on 11 November 1978. Accordingly, Mr. Maumoon Abdul Gayoom was sworn in as President on 11 November 1978. He was subsequently re-elected as President in 1983, 1988, 1993 and 1998.

The years of President Gayoom's leadership comprise a very special era in the history of the Maldives. Major developmental projects, which have achieved commendable success, have been implemented during his tenure in office. Important strides in nation-building, tantamount to a revolutionary national transformation and which calls for justifiable national pride, has been achieved under his stewardship.

Over the past 21 years of President Gayoom's leadership, important reforms and progress have been registered in a variety of areas. Particularly significant has been the way development has become generalised throughout the archipelago. Unprecedented heights of success have been achieved in the areas of education, health and nutrition, religious awareness, historical and linguistic research, urbanisation, fisheries, tourism and other sectors of socio-economic development. In some of the fields, the progress achieved by the Maldives compares well with international standards, and indeed, has led the Maldives to be recognised as a model of development by the international community.

In addition to guiding the Maldives to success in development, President Gayoom has produced a corpus of lectures delivered at various national occasions and international forums. These speeches are without national peer and precedent in their intellectual and didactic content, and have received both national and international acclaim.

Although the Maldives is a small island state, under President Gayoom's leadership, the Maldives has been playing a very active and important role in international affairs. It is recognised globally that President Gayoom has played the lead role in generating international awareness at the political level on the phenomena of global warming and environmental deterioration. The Maldives has won many international accolades and much acclaim for the President's initiative in this area. Likewise, it was also under President Gayoom's direction that the Maldives successfully raised at the UN the issue of securing international recognition for the obligation of the international community to provide for the protection and security of small states.

President Gayoom is the prime mover of protecting and promoting the rights and welfare of children and of mainstreaming gender equality in the Maldives. The President has an affable personality and is noted for his accessibility and the ease with which he mingles with children, youths, adults and people of all ages. The President also pays particular attention to frequently attending official and unofficial functions and to socialise with the people.

The President is a man of exceptional intellectual ability, political gifts and personal charisma, traits which have been of tremendous service to the nation in achieving continued progress and development at home and prestige abroad.

The era of President Gayoom's leadership is a period of national harmony, peace, security and prosperity. President Gayoom is currently serving his fifth term of office, which began on 11 November 1998.