Mohamed Muizzu

Mohamed Muizzu (born 15 June 1978) is a Maldivian politician who is the President-elect of the Maldives, due to take office on 17 November 2023. He was a longtime Housing Minister and the serving Mayor of Malé before being nominated as the People's National Congress' candidate for the 2023 presidential election, in which he defeated incumbent president Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.
Educational background
Completing his Bachelors' and Master's degree in Structural Engineering at the University of London, he earned his PhD in Civil Engineering at the University of Leeds.
His PhD is on "Thermal and time-dependent effects on monolithic reinforced concrete roof slab-wall joints" and was awarded in 2009.
Political background
Mohamed Muizzu embarked on his political career in 2012 when he assumed the role of Minister of Housing and Environment during the administration of President Waheed as a member of the Adhaalath Party (AP). Subsequently, in the aftermath of the 2013 Presidential Election, he continued to serve as a cabinet minister under President Abdulla Yameen's administration, maintaining his position as head of the Ministry of Housing and Environment, which was later restructured and renamed as the Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure during his five-year term in office.
Muizzu gained prominence for his pivotal involvement in overseeing several significant infrastructure projects, most notably the iconic Sinamalé Bridge. This remarkable bridge served as a vital connection linking the capital city, Malé, to the Velana International Airport on Hulhulé and extending further to the planned new city of Hulhumalé.
Throughout the period spanning 2013 to 2018, a multitude of infrastructure initiatives were successfully completed under his leadership, including the construction of numerous harbors, jetties, parks, mosques, public buildings, sporting facilities, and roads. Muizzu is also recognized for introducing modern asphalt paving techniques for the streets of Malé, departing from the traditional paving blocks, and implementing contemporary building and maintenance codes that are presently in practice.
In 2019, Mohamed Muizzu assumed a crucial leadership role within the opposition Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) as the Vice-President of the party and the head of the Elections Department.
In 2021, he contested and secured a decisive victory in the mayoral election for the capital city, defeating the candidate from the ruling party. Presently, Mohamed Muizzu holds the position of Mayor for the capital city of Maldives.
Following the incarceration of opposition leader Abdulla Yameen, Muizzu was nominated as the presidential candidate by the People’s National Congress, a component of the opposition coalition. His running mate is MP Hussain Mohamed Latheef. In the first round of the 2023 Maldivian presidential election, he achieved the highest number of votes, garnering 46.06% of the total votes cast, advancing to the second round on 30 September 2023. He was elected president in the second round, winning 54.04% against the incumbent Solih's 46.04%. Muizzu will be sworn in as the new president on 17 November 2023.
References
1978 births
Living people
People from Malé
Maldivian politicians
Candidates for President of the Maldives
Mayors of places in the Maldives
21st-century Maldivian politicians
Presidents of the Maldives
Alumni of the University of Leeds
Maldivian Muslims