President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom has been in power since 1978. Named by the Parliament, which is made up of dignitaries of the country's main atolls, the President has the right to close down newspapers and have journalists arrested for publishing critical articles.

Freedom of expression is limited by several laws. A 1968 law forbids speeches and articles which are "hostile to Islam", "contrary to national security" or "offensive". Several journalists were imprisoned in the early 1990s in the name of this law. However, a few private publications on the Maldives do criticise the government. In addition, the governmental radio, The Voice of the Maldives, and the country's public television channel, do not hesitate to present points of view that are opposite those of the government.

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