Ex-Yameen coordinator Ahmed Shamoon appointed Deputy Youth Minister

Ahmed Shamoon, who previously coordinated two ministries under former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom, was appointed Deputy Minister of Youth on Monday, according to the President’s Office.  

The Youth Ministry already has four deputy ministers. Shamoon’s appointment, which carries a salary of MVR 35,000, adds to the growing number of political posts in the administration.  

A lawyer by profession, Shamoon served as coordinator of the Tourism Ministry from 2014 to 2015 and the Environment Ministry from 2015 to 2018 during Yameen’s government. He was also president of the first branch of the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) before joining the People’s National Congress (PNC) on December 29, 2018.  

Shamoon has been politically active in recent years, playing roles in President Dr Mohamed Muizzu’s presidential and mayoral campaigns. In 2024, he contested the PNC ticket for Mahchangolhi Central constituency but lost to Mohamed Abdul Ghadir. The seat was later won by Ahmed Zameer, who initially ran as an independent before joining the PNC.  

President Muizzu has pledged to cap political posts at 700, but the opposition has criticized the government for exceeding 3,000. Figures released last July showed 922 political employees, including 216 deputy ministers, a number now set to rise further with Shamoon’s appointment.