Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom (Dhivehi: ޢަބްދުﷲ ޔާމީން ޢަބްދުލް ޤައްޔޫމް; born 21 May 1959) is a Maldivian politician who served as president of the Maldives from 2013 to 2018.
Yameen was elected president in the 2013 presidential election as the candidate of the Progressive Party (PPM), defeating Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) leader and former president Mohamed Nasheed in the second round of the re-run, after the initial election was annulled. He was the second democratically elected president of the Republic of the Maldives. Yameen's presidential tenure oversaw a number of infrastructure development projects, such as airports and healthcare facilities, most of which were financed through loans from the Chinese government. His presidency was rife with allegations of human rights infringements and corruption. He left office on 17 November 2018 following his defeat in the 2018 presidential election to Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.
Following his departure from office, Yameen was charged with corruption and money laundering in connection to the Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation scandal, and was sentenced to 11 years in prison. He has since been freed from prison.
Yameen started his government service in July 1978. Following his undergraduate studies in Beirut, Lebanon. He served first as Secretary at the Department of Finance and then as Research Officer at the Research and International Organisations Division of the Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA).
On his return after completing his postgraduate studies, Yameen started serving at Ministry of Trade and Industries. He held many post throughout his career at the ministry and was appointed as Minister of Trade and Industries on 11 November 1993 under president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.
As the Trade Minister, Yameen helped Maldives become part of Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) and other international trade and investment organisations.
Under his half-brother president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, Yameen held key cabinet positions, first as Minister of Higher Education (July 2005 – April 2007) and then as Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation (September 2008 – 20 November 2008).
After the 2008 Maldivian presidential election the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party leadership was thrown into contentious conflicts of interest. This led to the president of the party and former president Maumoon Abdul Gayyoom to resign.
Yameen left the party and created his own People's Alliance. His party contested in the 2009 Maldivian parliamentary election and won 7 seats including him and he gained support of Qasim Ibrahim. This led to Maumoon and Yameen to decide to join power and create Progressive Party of Maldives in 2011.
During the 2011–13 Maldives political crisis Yameen played a major role in ousting president Mohamed Nasheed from office who he viewed as a threat to Islam and the nation. President Mohamed Waheed Hassan created a new alliance with the opposition political leaders and created a coalition against Nasheed for the 2013 Presidential Election.
In the first round of voting for the 2013 Maldivian presidential election Yameen received 61,278 (29.72%) of the vote and the main opposition former president Mohamed Nasheed received 96,764 (46.93%).
However, no candidates received more than the 50% which is the minimum support required to be president.
Before the second round the coalition decided to back Yameen as the president against Nasheed. 111,203 (51.39%) was received by Yameen and he was sworn in as president as soon as election officials declared him the winner.
The China-Maldives Friendship Bridge (now officially named the Sinamalé Bridge) project, which was launched in 2015, is the first of its kind in the Maldives. It is 1.4 kilometres long and 20 metres wide, linking Malé's eastern edge to the western corner of Hulhulé Island, where Velana International Airport is located. It will provide one lane for four-wheeled vehicles and one lane for motorcycles on either side. There is also a lane for pedestrians on both sides.
The project began in 2014 and he inaugurated the Sinamalé Bridge on 30 August 2018.
Expansion of the country's main gateway, Velana International Airport is expected to be completed within the second quarter of 2018. The project will expand and increase the capacity of the airport to handle more passengers and aircraft. This ambitious project consists of a fuel farm with a storage capacity of 45 million litres and a cargo complex with the capacity to handle 120,000 tonnes, a new Code F 3,400-meter-long, 60-meter-wide runway which is able to cater to the largest of aircraft such as Antonov An-225 and Airbus A380 and a new passenger terminal. Upon completion, the existing runway will be converted into a taxiway, reducing the turnaround time of aircraft at the airport. The new terminal is expected to increase the ability to serve around 8 million passengers from the current rate of 1.5 million passengers a year. The new international passenger terminal will consist of a floor area of 78,000 square meters, the new terminal will have 40 departure checking counters, 38 immigration counters, 12 jetties, and six aero-bridges.
Other new airports are being developed to accommodate to the increase of the influx of more passengers and tourists which is expected to rise in the years to come. New regional airports are being built on islands such as Kulhudhuffushi and existing regional airports such as Gan International Airport have been converted to international airports with international airlines slowly beginning their operations.
Hulhumalé was also being developed under the supervision of Yameen. The new land required for Phase II of Hulhumalé was reclaimed at the beginning of 2014 and ever since, speedy development has followed through such as construction of roads and other necessary infrastructure. Yameen has also initiated a grand housing project called 'Hiyaa' to provide sheltering for an estimated 100,000 people. The project under the second phase of Hulhumalé's development will see the construction of 10,080 housing units including flats.