The Ministry of Cities, Local Government, and Public Works—established as a tool to curtail the powers of local councils—has been abolished following the government’s significant losses in the recent local council elections and referendum.
Adhadhu understands that while staff members have been notified of the ministry’s dissolution, the government has yet to reach a decision regarding the future of its civil service employees.
However, all political appointees previously employed at the ministry have been dismissed from their posts.
The dissolution follows the resignation of the Minister of Cities, Local Government, and Public Works, Adam Shareef, yesterday.
At its inception, the government claimed the ministry was created to achieve the constitutional and legal objectives of decentralization.
The opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) had characterized the ministry's creation as a revival of the former "Atolls Ministry," designed specifically to undermine the authority of local councils.
The current administration has introduced several legislative amendments that restrict the powers of local authorities. These include reforms allowing the central government to reclaim land previously under council jurisdiction and changes that grant the government greater influence over island land-use plans.
In addition to the Cities Ministry, the Ministry of Dhivehi Language, Culture, and Heritage—another entity established by President Muizzu to promote nationalism and the local language—was also abolished yesterday on the national Dhivehi Language Day.
