Mahaz Ali Zahir has been appointed to the Supreme Court bench.

President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih made the appointment on Monday, and Mahaz’s letter of appointment was presented at a ceremony held at the President’s Office in the afternoon.

Chief Justice Ahmed Abdulla Didi administered the oath for the newly appointed justice at the ceremony. Justice Mahaz signed the pledge of the oath upon assuming office, afterwards.

The appointment was made under Article 148 (a) of the Constitution, which states that “the President as the Head of State shall appoint the Judges of the Supreme Court, after consulting with the Judicial Service Commission and confirmation of the appointees by a majority of the People’s Majlis present and voting.”

After consulting with the JSC, President Solih had forwarded two names for parliamentary review on October 17. They are Mahaz and former Attorney General Dhiyana Saeed.

The nominations were sent to the parliament’s judiciary committee for further review, who agreed with JSC’s recommendations and did not support either nomination in its report.

Main ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) had issued a three-line whip to vote for Mahaz, a few moments prior to the vote.

Mahaz won the Majlis vote, with 55 lawmakers voting in his favour.

Dr. Azmiralda Zahir and Aisha Shujune Mohamed -Maldives' first female justices- were appointed to the Supreme Court this September, following an amendment to the Judicature Act to increase the size of the Supreme Court bench from five to seven justices.

Following Mahaz's appointment, the Supreme Court bench now has the required seven justices.