Government Spokesperson Mohamed Hussain Shareef (Mundhu) announced today that the administration will begin reducing the number of political appointees across various government positions.
Speaking on his "Press with Spox" program, Shareef said that an evaluation process is currently underway to assess the performance and necessity of political staff. He noted that the downsizing of personnel will commence once this review is finalized.
"The evaluation is being conducted with the intent of establishing the actual capacity required. For instance, regarding State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs), the aim is to reduce or eliminate staff by approximately one-third. We are working to bring the number of government political positions down to a specific target. That phase is approaching, followed by implementation based on the gathered data," Shareef said.
The number of political staff appointed by the current administration is estimated to exceed 1,500. However, the exact figure remains unconfirmed as President Mohamed Muizzu and the government have refused to disclose this information.
In April 2026, the Cabinet announced a decision to terminate 500 political employees. Despite this announcement, practical implementation of the plan has yet to begin.
Instead of dismissing political appointees, the government has been terminating long-serving civil servants and permanent employees over political issues. Those affected include veteran staff from state companies such as STELCO and MIFCO.
