Chief of State and Head of Government—President Maumoon Abdul
GAYOOM (since 11 November 1978)
_#_Political parties and leaders: no organized political parties; country governed by the Didi clan for the past eight centuries
_#_Suffrage: universal at age 21
_#_Elections:
President—last held 23 September 1988 (next to be held September 1994); results—President Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM reelected;
Citizens' Council—last held on 7 December 1989 (next to be held 7 December 1994); results—percent of vote NA; seats—(48 total, 40 elected)
_#_Communists: negligible
_#_Member of: AsDB, C, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, NAM, OIC, SAARC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WMO, WTO
_#_Diplomatic representation: Maldives does not maintain an embassy in the US, but does have a UN mission in New York;
US—the US Ambassador to Sri Lanka is accredited to Maldives and makes periodic visits there; US Consular Agency, Midhath Hilmy, Male; telephone 2581