Mohamed Hussain Shareef (Mundhu) has been appointed as the official government Spokesperson.
Appointed at the ministerial level, Shareef fills the vacancy left by Heena Waleed, who resigned from the post yesterday, to be appointed as the Minister of Arts, Culture, and Heritage.
Shareef most recently served as the Maldivian Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates. However, he was removed from that post following the leak of an audio recording featuring his mother, Maafannu Central MP Asma Rasheed, in which she urged voters not to support the ruling People’s National Congress (PNC).
With years of experience in communications, Shareef previously served as the government Spokesperson from 2005 to 2007 during President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom’s administration, and subsequently as the President’s Office Spokesperson from 2007 to 2008.
He also served as the Minister of Youth and Sports during President Mohamed Waheed’s administration. Under President Abdulla Yameen’s tenure, he held the position of Minister at the President’s Office and served as the Maldivian Ambassador to both Japan and Sri Lanka.
Within the current administration, Shareef has also previously held the post of Ambassador-at-Large at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Ruling party MP campaigned against government in elections, reveals leaked audio
A leaked audio recording reveals that ruling People’s National Congress MP Asma Rasheed actively campaigned against her own government during recent elections. In the recording, Asma advises supporters to withhold campaign efforts until specific positions are secured and claims that President Mohamed Muizzu cannot win re-election without her support.
The fallout from the leaked audio also led to the dismissal of Dr. Salma Rasheed, the Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva. However, her position has since been reinstated.
In the controversial recording, MP Asma Rasheed was heard sharply criticizing the government and the PNC. She encouraged voters to withhold their support for PNC candidates during the recent local council elections and referendum.
