Minister of Economic Development and Trade Mohamed Saeed has avoided giving a direct answer in connection with reports suggesting that President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu does not have confidence in him.

At a press conference held by the President's Office on Monday, a journalist from RaajjeTV directed this question to Minister Saeed.

It was noted that there are reports suggesting President Muizzu no longer trusts Minister Saeed, and that the president's confidence in the minister has waned due to some of the figures the minister presents in certain projects and the inability to achieve desired results.

Responding to the question, Minister Saeed said that there will be challenges when beginning new initiatives. Highlighting that challenges are to be expected, the minister stated that this is not unique to the Maldives.

Minister Saeed said that as humans living on earth, we will “face many challenges”, adding that the answer to whether one person trusts another can only be obtained by asking different parties.

Further, Minister Saeed stated that President Muizzu's cabinet, government, and appointees are a closely-knit group who share the same ideology. He said they are moving forward as one unit and aiming for the same goal.

Despite these statements, Minister Saeed did not explicitly confirm with certainty that he has President Muizzu's full trust.

While the Muizzu administration has completely more than a year in office, several have been stressing that the Maldives' economic situation is severely deteriorating, and that Minister Saeed is failing in this regard.

Consequently, there are recurring reports suggesting that President Muizzu has lost trust in Minister Saeed and that the minister will be removed from his position.