Following government's major electoral defeat, Minister Ali Arif, a first cousin of the President, resigns from his post

Ali Arif, who served as a Minister at the President's Office, has abruptly resigned from his post.

Ali Arif, a cousin of President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, resigned from his post on Monday.

Although Ali Arif has resigned from his position as Minister at the President's Office for Presidential Affairs, neither the government nor Arif himself has disclosed the reason for his departure. However, this change is widely believed to be part of a broader administrative restructuring initiated following the government's significant defeat in last Saturday's referendum.

President Muizzu's administration has suffered a landslide defeat in a public referendum held to gauge opinion on synchronizing local council, presidential, and parliamentary elections on a single date. Following this setback, there has been a significant surge in the dismissal and resignation of top executives across various state-owned enterprises.

On Sunday, several heads of state-owned enterprises resigned abruptly, including Faruhath Shaheer, CEO of the Maldives Industrial Fisheries Company (MIFCO), and Abdul Matheen, Managing Director of the Male' Water and Sewerage Company (MWSC). Additionally, Mohamed Najah, Managing Director of Fenaka Corporation, Hussain Didi, Managing Director of AgroNet, and Rishwan, Managing Director of Maldives Ports Limited (MPL), also tendered their resignations following directives from the government.

Political analysts suggest that the resignation of Ali Arif, a relative of the President, signals significant internal instability within the administration.