Parliament approves new cabinet

People’s Majlis has on Tuesday approved all 20 cabinet ministers appointed by President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.

While the votes for each minister was taken separately at Tuesday’s sitting, all lawmakers present took part in the vote including those representing the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM).

With 72 votes in their favor, the ministers that received the highest number of votes are; Youth Minister Ahmed Mahloof, Housing Minister Aminath Athifa, Fisheries Minister Zaha Waheed, Environment Minister Dr. Hussain Rasheed Hassan and Attorney General Ibrahim Riffath.

Gender Minister Shidhatha Shareef received the lowest number of votes; 67 MPs voted in favor of her appointment while two voted against it.

All ministers are constitutionally required to be approved by parliament in order to permanently remain in their positions, as per the article 129(c) of the Constitution.

With a total of 20 cabinet ministers including the attorney general, President Solih’s cabinet is the largest in Maldives’ history.

They are;

1. Attorney General – Ibrahim Riffath
2. Minister of Foreign Affairs – Abdulla Shahid
3. Minister of Defence – Mariya Ahmed Didi
4. Minister of Home Affairs – Sheikh Imran Abdulla
5. Minister of Finance and Treasury – Ibrahim Ameer
6. Minister of Higher Education – Dr. Ibrahim Hassan
7. Minister of National Planning and Infrastructure – Mohamed Aslam
8. Minister of Communication Science and Technology – Mohamed Maleeh Jamaal
9. Minister of Health – Abdulla Ameen
10. Minister of Education – Aishath Ali
11. Minister of Tourism – Ali Waheed
12. Minister of Economic Development – Fayyaz Ismail
13. Minister of Fisheries, Marine Resources and Agriculture – Zaha Waheed
14. Minister of Islamic Affairs – Ahmed Zahir
15. Minister of Housing and Urban Development – Aminath Aathifa
16. Minister of Youth, Sports, and Community Empowerment – Ahmed Mahloof
17. Minister of Gender, Family, and Social Services – Shidhatha Shareef
18. Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation – Aishath Nahula
19. Minister of Environment – Dr. Hussain Rasheed
20. Minister of Arts, Culture, and Heritage – Yumna Maumoon

While his cabinet comprises of members from the four coalition parties, they took oath of office the same day as the incumbent president.