Parliament has unanimously approved the appointment of ambassadors to six countries, the United Nations and the European Union. This move comes after a prolonged period of deliberation and marks a milestone for President Mohamed Muizzu’s administration.
The ambassadorial nominations, approved on Monday, include appointments to the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Belgium, Singapore, the United Nations, and the European Union. The committee that reviewed the nominations submitted its report on 23 March.
Among the endorsed nominations are Mohamed Hussain Shareef to the United Arab Emirates, Dr Ali Naseer Mohamed as the permanent representative to the United Nations, Dr Iruthisham Adam to the United Kingdom, Masood Imad to Sri Lanka, Dr Mariyam Shabeena Ahmed to Malaysia, Geela Ali to Belgium and the European Union, Dr Salma Rasheed as the permanent representative to the United Nations Offices in Geneva, Switzerland, and Mohamed Luveiz to Singapore.
These are the first group of ambassadors nominated by President Muizzu that the parliament has endorsed. The president, who had previously expressed deep concern over the delay in the parliament’s endorsement of his nominations, reiterated his concerns during a campaign rally last week in Laamu Atoll, alleging that the parliament was not providing adequate support to his administration.
Among the nominees, Mohamed Hussain Shareef had previously served as the ambassador to Japan under the Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom administration and as a Minister to the President’s Office. Dr Ali Naseer Mohamed earlier served as the Foreign Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Dr Iruthisham Adam was the youth minister in former President Yameen’s cabinet.
President Muizzu has also sent other ambassadorial nominations to the parliament, including Dr Fazeel Najeeb to China and Shiuneen Rasheed to Bangladesh. The parliamentary committee is currently reviewing these nominations.