Cabinet reshuffle: Six votes against Haidar; unanimous approval for rest

The Parliament on Monday approved the four ministers who were reappointed to the cabinet in a major reshuffle implemented by President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu in December.

The four ministers are:

• Planning and Finance Minister Moosa Zameer
• Construction, Housing and Infrastructure Minister Dr. Abdulla Muthalib
• Higher Education, Labor and Skills Minister Dr. Ali Haidar Ahmed
• Agriculture and Animal Welfare Minister Dr. Mariyam Mariya

The four had been reappointed to the cabinet on December 26 as part of a major reshuffle that included the merger of the Housing Ministry and the Infrastructure Ministry – reducing the number of government ministries from 22 to 21.

President Muizzu asked the Parliament for approval for the ministers on January 16. On Sunday, the Government Oversight Committee provided unanimous backing for all four ministers, citing that they had already been approved for appointment to the cabinet for their previous roles.

The Parliament took the floor vote on their appointment during an extraordinary sitting held on Monday morning.

Three of the ministers passed the floor vote with the unanimous consensus of the lawmakers in attendance – including those from the opposition; Zameer with 67 votes, Muthalib with 69, and Mariya with 70.

However, Haidar failed to get a unanimous vote. He passed the floor vote with a majority vote of 64-6.

The changes in December marked the second cabinet reshuffle by President Muizzu since he took office in November 2023.

The first major reshuffle had been on September 30, 2024, when Dr. Mohamed Shafeeq resigned from his role as Finance Minister. Following the resignation, Moosa Zameer was changed from Foreign Minister to Finance Minister, Dr. Abdulla Khaleel was changed from Health Minister to Foreign Minister, and Abdulla Nazim Ibrahim was appointed as Health Minister.