Bill proposed to empower parliament to decide no. of ministers, political appointees

North Galolhu MP Eva Abdulla has submitted an amendment to the constitution which proposes to empower the parliament to set down the number of ministers and other political appointees that will be appointed to the government by the president during each presidential term.

Opposition parties have highly criticized the incumbent administration, claiming the number of political appointees in the administration is “too high”.

The amendment to Article 116 of the constitution which proposes to empower the parliament to set down the number of political appointees and the number of the new ministries that will be created was submitted to the parliament on February 12^th. Although the president will have the discretion to choose the areas of the ministries under this amendment – the president must seek parliamentary approval for the number of ministries and their mandates within seven days of inception.

Additionally, the President must seek parliamentary approval for a proposed number of political appointees that will be required for the operations of each ministry within 14 days of inception.

At present, Article 116 of the constitution grants the president the discretion to establish all ministries and determine their mandates. However, the president must submit all information relating to the ministries and their areas of jurisdiction to the parliament for approval.

Notably, after assuming office on November 17, 2023, President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu formed a cabinet of 22 ministers including the Attorney General; the largest cabinet formed in the Maldives to date.

As per the President’s Office’s website – political appointees in the current administration exceed 300. Apart from the 22 cabinet ministers appointed by the president, an additional 12 individuals have been appointed to various posts at the President's Office on ministerial level while an additional seven individuals have been appointed to the President's Office on state ministerial level. 

A total of 90 state ministers and 150 deputy ministers have been appointed to various ministries.