Parliament approves members of new cabinet

The Parliament on Wednesday granted approval to 14 new appointments to President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu’s cabinet.

President Muizzu overhauled his cabinet between April 14-15, merging some of the ministries and downsizing the cabinet from 20 to 15. While attorney general Ahmed Usham retained his original mandate, 14 ministers, including five fresh faces, were appointed to the cabinet.

They are:

• Moosa Zameer – Minister of Finance and Public Enterprises
• Ali Ihusaan – Minister of Homeland Security, Labor and Technology
• Dr. Iruthisham Adam – Minister of Foreign Affairs
• Ismail Shafeeu – Minister of Education, Higher Education and Skills Development
• Geela Ali – Minister of Health, Family and Welfare
• Mohamed Saeed – Minister of Economic Development, Transport and Trade
• Dr. Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed – Minister of Islamic Affairs and Endowments
• Mohamed Ameen – Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation
• Abdulla Rafiu – Minister of Youth Empowerment, Sports and Fitness
• Heena Waleed – Minister of Arts, Culture and Heritage
• Dr. Abdulla Muthalib – Minister of Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development
• Ali Shareef – Minister of Climate Change, Environment and Energy
• Ahmed Shiyam - Minister of Fisheries, Agriculture and Ocean Resources
• Hassan Rasheed - Minister of Defense and National Service

The Parliament took the floor vote on the new appointments on Wednesday afternoon, two days after the Government Oversight Committee granted its approval.

Hassan Rasheed, Iruthisham, Geela, Shiyam, Shaheem, and Rafiu secured unanimous approval, while Zameer received a majority vote of 76-1, Ihusan received a majority vote of 70-2, Shafeeu received a majority vote of 72-2, Saeed received a majority vote of 65-12, Ameen received a majority vote of 73-2, Heena received a majority vote of 64-12, Muthalib received a majority vote of 68-5 with one abstaining, and Ali Shareef received a majority vote of 63-13.

The major cabinet reshuffle came in the wake of a major defeat for the ruling People’s National Congress (PNC) in the recent local council elections and referendum, which saw the main position Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) sweep a majority of seats in local councils. The administration also lost a referendum it called on a proposal to synchronize presidential and parliamentary elections.