TIMELINE: Idyllic Maldives' rocky road to political reform

(Reuters) - Maldivian President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom on Wednesday lost the first multiparty elections in the Indian Ocean archipelago's history, coming in second in a runoff vote to his longtime political nemesis, activist Mohamed "Anni" Nasheed.

Former political prisoner Nasheed managed to line up a unified opposition behind him to unseat Gayoom, who was Asia's longest serving ruler after three decades in power.

Here are some milestones in the islands' political history:

* 1153: After about seven centuries of Buddhism, the Maldives' last Buddhist monarch, Siri Bavanaditta, converts to Islam, which becomes the national religion.

* 1558: Portuguese capture the capital Male, and rule the islands from their colony in Goa, India.

* 1573: Portuguese driven out by warrior-patriot Mohamed Bodu Takurufanu al-Azam, who becomes Sultan and national hero.

* 1645-1795: Dutch take possession of Maldives, along with Ceylon (Sri Lanka), but Islamic customs upheld on islands.

* 1795-1796: British take control, after conquering Ceylon.

* 1887: Maldives named as British protectorate.

* Jan 1, 1953: Maldives become independent republic in the Commonwealth, after eight centuries as a sultanate.

* Feb 22, 1954: Republic abolished, sultanate restored.

* July 26, 1965: Islands granted full independence; Ibrahim Nasir appointed as premier.

* Nov 11, 1968: Sultanate replaced by republic. Nasir becomes president.

* March 6, 1975: Prime Minister Ahmad Zaki arrested by order of the president and banished to a remote atoll.

* July 28, 1978: Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, sole candidate in a presidential referendum, wins 90 percent of the votes cast.

* Sept 30, 1983: Gayoom re-elected for a further five years.

* Sept 23, 1988: Gayoom re-elected.

* Oct 1, 1993: Gayoom re-elected for fourth term.

* Oct 16, 1998: National referendum re-elects Gayoom.

* Sept 20-21, 2003: Public anger at prison abuse boils over into unprecedented riots. Several people arrested in Male.

* Oct 19: Gayoom re-elected for sixth term.

* Aug 13, 2004: State of emergency declared after pro-democracy protests turn violent. The unrest come two months after Gayoom announces reforms to address the Maldives' poor human rights record.

* Sept 16: European Parliament unanimously votes to impose sanctions against Maldives in wake of crackdown. Gayoom drops charges against rioters in December, sanctions taken off agenda.

* Dec 24: Asian tsunami kills 82 people in Maldives; damage estimated at up to $510 million, about 50-80 percent of GDP.

* Jan 26, 2005: Election mired in confusion; government and opposition both claim victory.

* June 2: Centuries of autocratic rule end as Maldives allows formation of political parties, effectively banned under the constitution until then.

* March 28, 2006: Officials announce new reform roadmap, delaying the first multiparty elections from 2006 to 2008.

* Jan 8, 2008: Teen boy scout saves Gayoom from assassination attempt, grabbing kitchen knife from a lunging assailant's hands.

* Aug 7: Gayoom ratifies new constitution, paving way for multiparty presidential elections by October 10.

* Aug 31: Environment minister quits, the 12th cabinet minister to resign in 2008. Gayoom and his Dhivehi Raiyyithunge party left with two-seat majority in parliament of 50.

* Oct 9-10: Maldives holds first multiparty presidential election, which stretches into second day amid problems with voter rolls and rigging allegations. Gayoom gets 40.6 percent of the vote but it is not enough to avoid runoff with Nasheed, who comes in second with 25.1 percent.

* Oct 28: Maldivians go back to the polls for a runoff. Things go more smoothly despite registration hitches, and election officials say 86 percent of the 209,000 registered voters take part.

* Oct 29: Election board says Nasheed is the winner with 54.2 percent against Gayoom's 45.8 percent based on an official provisional count. The result is expected to be certified within seven days, meaning Asia's longest-serving leader will end his tenure after three decades.

Source: Reuters, A Political Chronology of Central, South and East Asia (Europa)