Mohamed Muizzu

Mohamed Muizzu (Dhivehi: މުޙައްމަދު މުޢިއްޒު; born 15 June 1978) is a Maldivian politician who is the 8th president of the Maldives, serving since 2023. He served as housing minister from 2012 to 2018, making him the longest-serving housing minister in Maldivian history. He was mayor of Malé from 2021 to 2023. Muizzu is the leader of the People's National Congress since 2023.

Born in Malé, Muizzu studied civil engineering in the United Kingdom, completing his Bachelor's and Master's degrees at the University of London and later earning a PhD at the University of Leeds in 2009. President Waheed appointed Muizzu as the Minister of Housing and Infrastructure in 2012 and remained in the position under president Yameen, until 2018. As minister, Muizzu oversaw several major infrastructure projects. In 2021, he was elected the mayor of Malé, serving until his resignation to assume presidency in 2023. Muizzu led the Progressive–Congress coalition until the Progressive Party of Maldives was dissolved in 2025, and he has continued to serve as president of the Congress party.

Muizzu was nominated as the People's National Congress's 2023 presidential candidate following the imprisonment of former president Abdulla Yameen on corruption charges. The People's National Congress, part of the Progressive–Congress coalition alongside the Progressive Party of Maldives, had originally planned for Yameen to contest the 2023 Maldivian presidential election, but with him ineligible, the party endorsed Muizzu as their candidate. Muizzu defeated the incumbent president Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, receiving the second-highest number of votes for a presidential candidate in Maldivian history.

During his presidency, Muizzu made foreign policy moves, including the expulsion of Indian troops from the Maldives and actions regarding the maritime boundary dispute, seeking to recover the Maldivian maritime area lost to Mauritius following the ruling by the ITLOS. In June 2024, he imposed a ban on Israeli passports following the Gaza war. Deportations of illegal foreigners have been conducted under the Muizzu government. The world's first generational ban on tobacco use was introduced in the Maldives for those born after 2007. Muizzu was named in TIME magazine's 100 most influential people in health in 2026.