President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has broken his pledge to stop further appointments to senior political positions as part of measures to overcome financial constraints faced by the country.
In his first presidential address on February 5, President Muizzu said that political posts would not be increased.
"The government's plan is to formulate and implement our own reform policy to improve the financial situation of the country and bring the debt and fiscal situation to a sustainable level. I believe this is essential for the economic and financial future of the country," he said.
"Likewise, in order to reduce the government's expenses, I have decided not to appoint any more people to senior political posts, aside from exceptional situations," he added.
However, more political appointments are being made even after the President's announcement.
The President's Office and the Finance Ministry have declined to disclose the total number of appointments to political posts.
The opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) filed a motion without notice last Wednesday to debate the non-disclosure of the number of political appointees. But the motion did not pass as the supermajority of the ruling People's National Congress (PNC) did not wish to debate the issue.
The current government assumed office with a pledge to limit political appointees to no more than 700. However, based on information gathered from various sources, Adhadhu estimates that the figure is close to 2,000.
In the presidential address, President Muizzu said that when he took office on November 17, 2023, the fiscal and debt situation was worse than anticipated.
He claimed that a plan has been developed under the Week 14 roadmap to restore debt sustainability.
Despite knowing that the financial situation was bad, jobs were offered from government positions and companies during the parliamentary elections and several promotions were also announced.
After securing the supermajority in Parliament, the government has said it needs to take cost-cutting measures. A reliable source told Adhadhu that the measures include a plan for the dismissal of 400 political employees.
