The government's new spokesperson, Mohamed Hussain Shareef (Mundhu), has falsely claimed during his first press conference by asserting that limiting the number of political appointees to 700 was never a government pledge.
Responding to a question from Adhadhu during Thursday's briefing, Mundhu stated that keeping the number of political staff below 700 was a target and not a pledge.
"For instance, the 700 jobs is not a presidential pledge. It is not a presidential pledge. Rather, it was a target set during the transitional phase," Mundhu said.
Despite Mundhu’s assertions, the government’s transitional spokesperson, Firzul Abdulla, explicitly stated during a press conference on October 10, 2023, that a decision had been made to cap the number of political positions at 700.
"The President-elect has made an important decision regarding political positions in the formation of his government. The President-elect has decided that the number of political positions in his administration will not exceed 700," Firzul had stated.
During that briefing, Firzul further detailed how the cap on political staff would be implemented across the administration.
"The President-elect decided on the figure of 700 to include administrative political staff working across government ministries, the President’s Office, and the official residences of the President and Vice President. He has decided that the total political positions in his government will not exceed 700," Firzul explained.
Current estimates suggest the number of political appointees under the Muizzu administration is nearing 2,000. However, the exact figure remains unconfirmed as the government continues to withhold this information.
