Vice President of the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), Mohamed Shifaz has been sacked from his post as minister at the President’s Office.

Spokesperson at the President’s Office, Miuvan Mohamed has confirmed Shifaz’s dismissal.

He was sacked from his ministerial position on Wednesday.

Shifaz was among the first to be appointed to a political post outside of the President’s Cabinet of Ministers, after President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih came to power in 2018.

The vice president of MDP was appointed as a minister at the President’s Office on 22 November 2018.

This comes at a time Hussain Amru was also recently sacked from his post as Managing Director and CEO of the State Trading Organization (STO). Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer of State Trading Organization Mohamed Nizam has temporarily taken over the responsibilities.

The order to sack Amru was sent to the Privatization and Corporatization Board of Maldives by President Solih on Sunday. Miuvan revealed that that the government will always be making periodic alterations and changes to the management and functioning of state institutions and companies. The decision to dismiss Amru, who served as the MD and CEO of STO before his recent removal, is one of these changes, according to Miuvan.

The decision to sack Amru comes at a time he has been openly vocal against President Solih, who is running for this year’s presidential election through the main-ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).

Many have been calling for the immediate removal of anti-governmental officials working at senior positions of government offices and state institutions.

The growing rift within the ruling party has been churning chaos within the party’s supporters, which now comprise of two factions; one supporting President Solih and one backing the party’s leader and former president Mohamed Nasheed, who lost the party’s ticket to the upcoming presidential poll in MDP’s recent primary election.

Nasheed has refused to support President Solih and even engaged with Jumhooree Party (JP) to form a coalition for the presidential poll slated for September.