President Nasheed presented the letter of appointment to the former Home Minister at a special ceremony held at the President's Office at 10am. The President's Press Secretary Mohamed Zuhair said Shihab was the most able person for the post. "Mohamed Shihab comes from a family that has a long history of serving the state. Shihab is a very able person and he demonstrated his capability as the Political Advisor," he said. Shihab resigned as the Home Minister in late 2010 after the parliament rejected his reappointment to the post. Shihab was appointed as the Finance Minister following the resignation of Ahmed Inaz from the post on December 29. Shihab earlier served as a council member of Jumhooree Party but later joined the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).