President Falsely Claims to Have Kept Pledge of Regular Press Briefings
31 އޯގަސްޓު 2026 | ހޯމަ 11:09President Dr. Muizzu has stated that he is fulfilling his pledge to meet with the press on a weekly basis, noting that while formal press conferences may not always occur, he provides information to various media outlets every week. Attributing any interruptions in the schedule to a heavy workload, the President’s remarks come amid growing criticism from both the public and the media regarding the lack of regularly scheduled press briefings.
President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu. | President's Office
Despite President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu’s earlier pledge to hold weekly press briefings every Monday, he has made the bold claim that he is fulfilling this promise, even though two months have passed without a single meeting with the press.
Speaking at a ceremony held to ratify the amendment to the Foreign Exchange Act alongside six other bills passed by the People’s Majlis, the President highlighted that he has been holding weekly press briefings with journalists.
He stated that while it is possible a formal press conference might not be held in the briefing room every time, not a single week would pass without him engaging with the media in some capacity.
There is no reason to be surprised; this is the reality. The fact that I am unable to hold a press conference here every single week does not mean I am failing to fulfill my commitment. In addition to weekly press briefings or media check-ins, I have previously noted that unless a meeting is absolutely essential, there will always be unavoidable circumstances and priorities that must be addressed daily.President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu
The President noted that over the past two months, he has attended various events or engaged in essential high-priority work on most Mondays, which is why he has consistently held press briefings on those days. He further explained that as today is also a Monday, he rescheduled this ceremony to 1:00 p.m. because of a prior engagement at 10:00 a.m. He reaffirmed his commitment to holding these meetings every Monday, as previously pledged.
Despite numerous attempts by RaajjeTV to contact the Chief Government Spokesperson, Mohamed Hussain Shareef, to clarify the reasons behind the repeated cancellations of scheduled press conferences, he has remained largely unresponsive.
The suspension of press conferences comes at a time when the government is facing intense public scrutiny over its inconsistent policies. The cancellation of these briefings, in particular, has drawn sharp criticism from both the media and the general public. Furthermore, the administration has been labeled by citizens as a government that fails to maintain consistency or follow established procedures in its operations.
