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Maumoon Abdul Gayoom is a Maldivian politician and Islamic scholar who served as President of the Maldives from 1978 to 2008. After serving as transport minister, he was nominated president by the People's Majlis and succeeded Ibrahim Nasir in 1978. He was defeated in 2008 during the first Presidential Elections after democratic reforms in the Maldives. He holds the nations highest award, "The Most Honourable Order of the Distinguished Rule of Ghazi", presented to him in 2013. Maumoon was the longest-serving president in Asia. In opposition, Maumoon continued to serve as leader of the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party until January 2010, when he retired from active politics. He however returned to active politics in September 2011 as leader of the newly formed Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), whose candidate Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom, Maumoon's half-brother, was victorious in the 2013 presidential elections. In July 2016, due to disagreements between president Yameen and Maumoon, the party split into two factions. Later in October, Maumoon withdrew his support for president Yameen and joined the Maldives United Opposition. Maumoon was arrested on 5 February 2018, for conspiring to overthrow the government along with his son-in-law Mohamed Nadheem. His son son, Faris Maumoon, was also arrested. Maumoon was freed on bail in September 2018 and later acquitted.