Under the present Constitution promulgated in 1998, Executive power is vested in the President, elected for a five-year term. The President is nominated by the People's Majlis (parliament) and endorsed subsequently by public referendum.

The President is assisted by a Cabinet of Ministers appointed by him and serves at his discretion. Ministers of the cabinet may or may not be members of the People's Majlis.

The President, as the Head of State is the ultimate authority in the administration of justice and is entrusted with the task of protecting and promulgating the Islamic religion in the country. He also appoints the Chief Justice and other judicial officers.

The People's Majlis is the body entrusted to enact legislation and comprise 50 members, 8 of whom are appointed by the President. The other 42 members are elected by universal suffrage, 2 members from each of the 19 atolls, and 2 from the capital island of Male'. Members of the People's Majlis are elected for a term of five years.

Political parties were allowed to be registered in the Maldives for the first time in June 2005 and since then a number of political parties have come into being, the most prominent of being the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) and the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP). Other notable parties include the Islamic Democratic Party (IDP) and the Adhaalath (Justice) Party. A few others are still in the process of being set up. Although presently some of the members in the parliament are associated with different political parties nominally, none have been elected as party candidates to date. A party-based election is yet to take place in the Maldives.

Each of the 20 administrative atolls of the archipelago is headed by an Atoll Chief and each island is administered by an Island Chief (Katheeb).