Parliament approves Vice President and Ministers

The Parliament has approved the appointment by President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik, of Vice President Mohamed Waheeddeen of H. Deensvilla and fourteen cabinet ministers.

Approval for Waheeddeen was passed with the votes of 45 out of 46 members who voted at today’s meeting.

Approval for 13 out of 14 cabinet ministers was also passed with the votes of 45 out of 46 members present at the meeting.

Maafannu Hulhan’gu MP Abdullah Abdul Raheem abstained from the vote for the approval of Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Abdul Samad Abdullah, resulting in 44 out of 46 members voting for him.

The fourteen cabinet ministers are Dr Abdul Samad Abdulla as Minister of Foreign Affairs; Dr Mohamed Jameel Ahmed as Minister of Home Affairs; Mohamed Nazim as Minister of Defence and National Security; Aishath Azima Shakoor as Attorney General; Dr Ahmed Jamsheed Mohamed as Minister of Health and Family; Dr Asim Ahmed as Minister of Education; Mr Ahmed Mohamed as Minister of Economic Development; Dr Ahmed Shamheed as Minister of Transport and Communication; Mr Mohamed Hussain as Minister of Human Resources, Youth and Sports; Mr Ahmed Adheeb Abdul Ghafoor as Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture; Sheikh Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed as Minister of Islamic Affairs; Dr Mohamed Muizzu as Minister of Housing and Environment; Mr Abdulla Jihad as Minister of Finance and Treasury; and Mr Ahmed Shafeeu as Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture.

Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) Parliamentary Group Member Shifag Mufeed participated in the voting.

The issue of changes to the government structure was also passed today with the votes of 43 members. This will result in the creation of two new Ministries – Ministry of Gender and Human Rights and Ministry of Infrastructure.