Ahmed Mohamed Waheed (Wadde), once seen a close aide to former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom, has been appointed as a state minister in President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu’s administration.
Wadde, who up until recently had been highly vocal in his criticism of President Muizzu, had left Yameen’s People’s National Front (PNF) and joined the ruling People’s National Congress (PNC) in a surprising move in August.
He also publicly apologized for criticizing President Muizzu and First Lady Sajidha Mohamed.
Sun has been informed that Wadde has been appointed as a state minister at the Transport Ministry. Credible sources confirm it has been at least a week since he assumed the MVR 47,000 job.
Efforts to obtain official confirmation from the President’s Office have been unsuccessful, despite repeated calls and texts since Wednesday night.
Such key appointments were previously announced by the President’s Office as part of standard protocol during previous administrations.
According to the information on the President’s Office, the Transport Ministry currently has three other state ministers; Dr. Ibrahim Shiyam, Mohamed Riyaz, and Abdul Latheef Mohamed.
However, it is unclear if the information is up to date.
A longtime member of the PPM-PNC, Wadde had sided with Yameen when he fell out with President Muizzu and left the coalition to form his new party PNF in 2023. He was also a regular fixture at PNF’s rallies, and vocal in his criticism of President Muizzu and the PNC.
Information released by the President’s Office in July places the number of political appointees within the administration at 922.
This includes:
20 ministerial posts
14 ministerial rank posts
93 state minister posts
7 state ministerial rank posts
216 deputy minister posts
20 deputy ministerial rank posts
318 senior political director posts
8 senior political director rank posts
169 political director posts
4 political director rank posts
4 assistant political director posts
49 other political posts
Following President Muizzu’s 2023 presidential election win, his spokesperson Mohamed Firuzul said the administration’s political appointments would be capped at 700. But the figure disclosed by the President’s Office in July exceeds the promised cap by 222 officials.