Parliament approves Shauna as Environment Minister

Parliament, on Tuesday, approved the appointment of Aminath Shauna as the new Environment Minister.

Shauna was appointed Environment Minister on May 5. The President made a formal request for parliamentary approval for the appointment on May 18, and the Parliament’s Government Oversight Committee provided its backing earlier this Tuesday.

The Parliament voted in support of Shauna’s appointment with a majority vote of 57 parliamentarians on Tuesday afternoon. Eight parliamentarians voted against the appointment.

Prior to her appointment as Environment Minister, Shauna served as Policy Secretary at the President’s Office.

President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih dissolved the Science and Technology Ministry – a new government ministry introduced by his administration – and assigned the ministry’s mandate to Shauna in May. With the decision, Environment Ministry’s name was changed to “Environment, Climate Change and Technology”.

President Solih has also asked for parliamentary approval for former Environment Minister Dr. Hussain Rasheed Hassan, who was appointed Fisheries Minister the same day. However, the Government Oversight Committee has yet to make a decision regarding his appointment.