Cabinet of the Maldives

The Cabinet of the Maldives is the most senior level of the executive branch of the Government of the Maldives. It is made up of the President, the Vice President, Attorney General and the ministers.

Members of the Current Cabinet

Cabinet of Ministers of the Dr. Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik's Government ¹
Office	Name	Term

President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces	Dr. Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik	Feb. 07, 2012 – Incumbent

Vice President	Mohammed Waheed Deen	Apr. 25, 2012² – Incumbent

Ministry of Home Affairs	Dr. Mohamed Jameel Ahmed Ahmed Shafeeu (Acting)	Feb. 08, 2012 – May 11, 2013^3 May 11, 2013 - Incumbent

Ministry of Defense and National Security	Colonel (Rtd.) Mohamed Nazim	Feb. 08, 2012 - Incumbent

Ministry of Education	Dr. Asim Ahmed	Feb. 12, 2012 - Incumbent

Ministry of Economic Development	Ahmed Mohamed	Feb. 12, 2012 - Incumbent

Ministry of Transport and Communication	Dr. Ahmed Shamheed Colonel (Rtd.) Mohamed Nazim (Acting) Ameen Ibrahim	Feb. 12, 2012 - Nov. 8, 2012^1 Nov. 8, 2012 - Apr. 10, 2013 Apr. 10, 2013 - Incumbent

Ministry of Human Resources, Youth and Sports	Mohamed Hussain Shareef	Feb. 12, 2012 - Incumbent

Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture	Ahmed Adheeb Abdul Ghafoor	Feb. 12, 2012 - Incumbent

Attorney General	Uza. Aishath Azima Shakoor Uza. Aishath Bisam	Feb. 12, 2012 - Apr. 10, 2013 Apr. 10, 2013 - Incumbent

Ministry of Islamic Affairs	Sh. Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed	Feb. 19, 2012 - Incumbent

Ministry of Foreign Affairs	Dr. Abdul Samad Abdulla	Mar. 05, 2012 - Incumbent

Ministry of Finance and Treasury	Abdulla Jihad	Mar. 05, 2012 - Incumbent

Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture	Ahmed Shafeeu	Mar. 12, 2012 - Incumbent

Ministry of Health	Dr. Ahmed Jamsheed Mohamed	May 07, 2012 - Incumbent

Ministry of Gender, Family and Human Rights	Uza. Fathimath Dhiyana Saeed Dr. Mariyam Shakeela (Acting) Uza. Aishath Azima Shakoor (Acting) Uza. Aishath Azima Shakoor	May 07, 2012 - Nov. 19, 2012^2 Nov. 21, 2012 - Mar. 7, 2013 ³ Mar. 7, 2013 - Apr. 10, 2013 Apr. 10, 2013 - Incumbent

Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure	Dr. Mohamed Muiz	May 21, 2012 - Incumbent

Ministry of Environment and Energy	Dr. Mariyam Shakeela	May 21, 2012 - Incumbent

Ministry of Health and Family (abolished on May 07, 2012)	Dr. Ahmed Jamsheed Mohamed	Feb. 12, 2012 - May 07, 2012

Ministry of Housing and Environment (abolished on May 21, 2012)	Dr. Mohamed Muiz	Feb. 19, 2012 - May 21, 2012

^1 Sacked after disputes between the Government as he extended the Maamigili Airport lease to JP leader MP Qasim Ibrahim for 99 years.
^2 Sacked after she strongly criticized the President and the Government, stating that her husband was beaten by the Police and his arrest was politically motivated, following the arrest of her husband MP Abdullah Jabir over suspicions of drinking alcohol. Prior to her dismissal, Media Secretary at the President’s Office, Masood Imad told the press that she was dismissed because she acted in a manner not suited for a Minister.⁴
^3 Sacked after he became the Running-mate of MP Abdulla Yameen, presidential candidate of PPM. Prior to his dismissal, Media Secretary at the President’s Office, Masood Imad told the press that having a rival candidate’s running-mate as the Home Minister would create a conflict of interest as the President himself is contesting in the presidential elections.⁵

Previous Administrations

Nasheed’s Cabinet

Cabinet of Ministers of the Nasheed's Government
Office	Name	Term

President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces	Mohamed Nasheed	Nov. 11, 2008 – Feb. 07, 2012

Vice President	Dr. Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik	Nov. 11, 2008 – Feb. 07, 2012

Ministry of Finance and Treasury	Ali Hashim Ali Hashim Mahmood Razee (Acting) Ahmed Inaz⁶ Mohamed Aslam (Acting) Mohamed Shihab	Nov. 12, 2008 – Jun. 29, 2010¹ Jul. 07, 2010 – Dec. 10, 2010² Dec. 2010 - 10 Apr. 2011 10 Apr. 2011 - Dec. 29, 2011 02 Jan. 2012 - Jan. 04, 2012 04 Jan. 2012 - Feb. 07, 2012

Ministry of Foreign Affairs	Ahmed Shaheed Ahmed Shaheed Mohamed Aslam (Acting) Ahmed Naseem⁷	Nov. 12, 2008 – Jun. 29, 2010¹ Jul. 07, 2010 – Dec. 10, 2010² Dec. 14, 2010 - Mar. 21, 2011 Mar. 21, 2011 - Feb. 07, 2012

Ministry of Health and Family	Dr. Aminath Jameel Dr. Aminath Jameel	Nov. 12, 2008 – Jun. 29, 2010¹ Jul. 07, 2010 – Feb. 07, 2012

Ministry of Defense and National Security	Ameen Faisal Ameen Faisal Uz. Ahmed Muizzu Adnan (Acting) Thalhath Ibrahim Kaleyfaanu	Nov. 12, 2008 – Jun. 29, 2010¹ Jul. 07, 2010 – Dec. 10, 2010² N/A - Jun. 31, 2011 Jun. 31, 2011 - Feb. 07, 2012

Ministry of Education	Dr. Musthafa Luthfy Dr. Musthafa Luthfy Shifa Mohamed	Nov. 12, 2008 – Jun. 29, 2010¹ Jul. 07, 2010 – Dec. 10, 2010² Dec. 13, 2010 - Feb. 07, 2012

Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture	Dr. Ahmed Ali Sawad Dr. Ahmed Ali Sawad Ali Hashim (Acting) Dr. Mariyam Zulfa	Nov. 12, 2008 – Jun. 29, 2010¹ Jul. 07, 2010 – Aug. 12, 2010 Aug. 17, 2010 - Nov. 8, 2010 Nov. 8, 2010 - Feb. 07, 2012

Ministry of Economic Development	Mohamed Rasheed Mahmood Razee (Acting) Mahmood Razee	Nov. 12, 2008 – May. 09, 2010 May. 12, 2010 – Jul. 07, 2010 Jul. 07, 2010 - Feb. 07, 2012

Ministry of Human Resources, Youth and Sports	Uz. Hassan Latheef Uz. Hassan Latheef	Nov. 12, 2008 – Jun. 29, 2010¹ Jul. 07, 2010 - Feb. 07, 2012

Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture	Ibrahim Didi Dr. Aminath Jameel (Acting) Ibrahim Didi	Nov. 12, 2008 – Jun. 29, 2010¹ Jul. 07, 2010 – jul. 19, 2010 Jul. 19, 2010 – Feb. 07, 2012

Ministry of Islamic Affairs	Dr. Abdul Majeed Abdul Bari Dr. Abdul Majeed Abdul Bari Dr. Abdul Majeed Abdul Bari	Nov. 12, 2008 – Jun. 29, 2010¹ Jul. 07, 2010 – Oct. 04, 2011⁴ Oct. 13, 2011 -Feb. 07, 2012

Ministry of Home Affairs	Qasim Ibrahim Ameen Faisal (Acting) Mohamed Shihab Mohamed Shihab Hassan Afeef	Nov. 12, 2008 – Dec. 04, 2008 Dec. 04, 2008 – Jun. 03, 2009 Jun. 03, 2009 - Jun. 29, 2010¹ Jul. 07, 2010 - Dec. 10, 2010² Dec. 13, 2010 - Feb. 07, 2012

Ministry of Housing and Environment	Mohamed Aslam	Jul. 07, 2010 – Feb. 07, 2012

Ministry of Transport and Communication	Mahmood Razee (Acting) Mohamed Adil Saleem	Jul. 09, 2010 - Nov. 08, 2010 Nov. 08, 2010 – Feb. 07, 2012

Attorney General	Fathimath Dhiyana Saeed Ali Hashim (Acting) Uz. Husnu Suood Uz. Husnu Suood Dr. Ahmed Ali Sawad Uz. Hassan Latheef (Acting) Dr. Ahmed Ali Sawad Uz. Abdulla Muiz ⁸	Nov. 12, 2008 – May. 19, 2009 May. 19, 2009 – Jun. 03, 2009 Jun. 03, 2009 - Jun. 29, 2010¹ Jul. 07, 2010 - Aug. 08, 2010 Aug. 12, 2010 - Dec. 10, 2010² Dec. 10, 2010 - Dec. 13, 2010 Dec. 13, 2010 - Mar. 21, 2011 ³ Mar. 21, 2011 - Feb. 07, 2012

Ministry of Housing, Transport and Environment (abolished on Jul. 07, 2010)	Mohamed Aslam	Nov. 12, 2008 - Jun. 29, 2010¹

Ministry of Civil Aviation and Communication (abolished on Jul. 07, 2010)	Dr. Mohamed Jameel Ahmed Mahmood Razee	Nov. 12, 2008 - May. 30, 2009 Jun. 03, 2009 - Jun. 29, 2010¹

^1 Resigned as part of the June 29, 2010 en masse resignation of the cabinet.
^2 Resigned after rejection by parliament, on December 10, 2010.
^3 Rejected by parliament, on March 21, 2011.
^4 Resigned on the request of his representative Adhaalath Party when it broke coalition with the government regarding the government’s decision to maintain relations with Israel. He was reinstated a week later.

Political Turmoil

June 2010 En Masse Cabinet Resignation

On 29 June 2010, Nasheed's 13 cabinet ministers resigned en masse, protesting the behaviour of opposition MPs who they said were “hijacking” the powers of the executive and making it impossible for the cabinet Ministers to discharge their constitutional duties and deliver the government’s election manifesto.⁹ The ministers called on the President to investigate why certain MPs were blocking the government's work, citing allegations of corruption and bribery in parliament.

On 29 June, Maldives Police Service arrested two parliamentarians, Abdulla Yameen, leader of the People’s Alliance party and former President Gayoom’s half brother, and Gasim Ibrahim, head of the Jumhooree Party, on suspicion of bribing fellow parliamentarians to vote against the government. The police are investigating the two MPs for corruption, along with a third MP, Mohamed Mustapha, of the ruling MDP.

On 7 July, President Nasheed reappointed all thirteen Ministers of the Cabinet, at a ceremony held at the President’s Office in Male'. Speaking at a press conference held shortly after presenting the Ministers with their letters of appointment, President Nasheed said his government would “work towards fulfilling its pledges to the people.” The President noted that the government has investigated the reasons why cabinet members felt they had to resign and the police have taken appropriate action. The President reiterated that only a small number of MPs are implicated in alleged corruption. “The reputation of the People’s Majlis should not be tarnished because of corruption allegations against a few parliamentarians,” the President said.¹⁰

Parliament Rejection of Cabinet Members

After the reinstallation of the cabinet on July 7, the cabinet was sent to the parliament for endorsement.

On November 22, the parliament voted and declared that only 5 out of the 12 appointees would be accepted. They also called for the rejected ministers to step down immediately.¹¹¹² This resulted in heated arguments between ruling party MDP and opposing DRP, who holds majority seats in parliament. The parliament ruled that the rejected appointees would not be considered as ministers, and refused to allow Finance minister, Ali Hashim present the 2011 state budget for parliament approval.¹³ Members of MDP responded to this by declaring that neither parliament or supreme court had rights to dismiss ministers and threatened high members of the parliament.¹⁴

On December 10, 2010, the Supreme Court of Maldives ruled that the ministers not endorsed by the parliament cannot remain in their posts; and requested their immediate resignation from office.¹⁵¹²

On December 13, 2010, President Nasheed appointed 2 new ministers and acting ministers for 4 more offices. He also reappointed the rejected Attorney General, Dr. Sawad.¹⁶

As of February 2011, only 3 of 7 rejected ministers have been replaced. The remaining ministries are currently managed by the other cabinet members.

2011 Parliament Cabinet Endorsement

On 21 March 2011, the parliament voted on the endorsement of 5 new ministers appointed. ¹⁷The result was the endorsement of 4 ministers. These include:

Shifa Mohamed, Minister of Education
Hassan Afeef, Minister of Home Affairs
Mohamed Adil Saleem, Minister of Transport and Communication.
Dr. Mariyam Zulfa, Minister of Tourism.

Only 1 of the appointees were rejected. This was the Attorney General, Dr. Ahmed Ali Sawad, who had been re-appointed by President Nasheed after being rejected by the parliament earlier. Just hours after the endorsement, two new ministers were sworn into office. This included a new Attorney General and a new Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Maumoon’s Cabinet

Cabinet of Ministers of the Maumoon's Government ¹⁸
Office	Name

President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and of the Police	Maumoon Abdul Gayoom

Senior Minister	Dr. Mohamed Zahir Hussain

Senior Minister	Uz. Abdulla Hameed

Senior Minister	Umar Zahir

Senior Minister	Uz. Fathulla Jameel

Senior Minister	Ali Umar Maniku

Senior Minister	Uz. Mohamed Rasheed Ibrahim

Dhivehi Dhaulathuge Minister	Abdul Rasheed Hussain

Dhivehi Dhaulathuge Minister	Ibrahim Hussain Manik

Dhivehi Dhaulathuge Minister	Rashida Yousuf

Dhivehi Dhaulathuge Minister	Abbas Ibrahim

Minister for Presidential Affairs	Mohamed Hussain

Ministry of Defense and National Security	Ismail Shafeeu

Ministry of Foreign Affairs	Abdulla Shahid

Ministry of Health	Ilyas Ibrahim

Ministry of Higher Education, Employment and Social Security	Dr. Ibrahim Hassan

Ministry of Atolls Development	Ahmed Thasmeen Ali

Ministry of Finance and Treasury	Abdulla Jihad

Ministry of Education	Zaahiya Zareer

Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation	Abdulla Yameen

Ministry of Planning and National Development	Hamdun Hameed

Ministry of Youth and Sports	Dr. Aishath Shiham

Ministry of Construction and Public Infrastructure	Mohamed Mauroof Jameel

Ministry of Gender and Family	Aishath Mohamed Didi

Ministry of Home Affairs	Abdullah Kamaaludheen

Ministry of Housing and Urban Development	Dr. Ali Haidhar Ahmed

Ministry of Transport and Communication	Mohamed Saeed

Ministry Environment, Energy and Water	Dr. Abdulla Mausoom

Ministry of Legal Reform, Information and Arts	Uz. Mohamed Nasheed

Attorney General	Uza. Aishath Azima Shakoor

References

[1] ttp://presidencymaldives.gov.mv/Index.aspx?lid=16

[2] ttp://www.haveeru.com.mv/vice_president_waheed_din_/41642

[3] ttp://presidencymaldives.gov.mv/Index.aspx?lid=11&dcid=8243

[4] ttp://presidencymaldives.gov.mv/Index.aspx?lid=11&dcid=8237

[5] ttp://www.haveeru.com.mv/news/48919

[6] ttp://www.presidencymaldives.gov.mv/Index.aspx?lid=11&dcid=5123

[7] ttp://www.haveeru.com.mv/english/details/35452

[8] ttp://www.haveeru.com.mv/english/details/35452

[9] ttp://www.presidencymaldives.gov.mv/4/?ref=1,5,4683

[10] ttp://www.presidencymaldives.gov.mv/4/?ref=1,5,4745

[11] Parliament only approves 5 out of 12 ministerial appointees | Minivan News

[autogenerated1-12] ttp://www.miadhu.com/2010/12/featured/supreme-court-rules-that-rejected-minister’s-cannot-remain/

[13] Speaker and Deputy Speaker will be unable to enter parliament if Hashim cannot, claims Reeko | Minivan News

[14] Supreme Court has “no authority to dismiss ministers”, claims Reeko Moosa | Minivan News

[15] Supreme Court rules rejected ministers cannot remain in their positions | Minivan News

[16] President reappoints Sawad as Attorney General | Minivan News

[17] ttp://www.haveeru.com.mv/english/details/35451/Maldives’_parliament_endorses_4_ministers,_rejects_1

[18] ttp://www.maldives.at/president.html

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