President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has appointed Hassan Rasheed as Minister of Defence and National Service, with the letter of appointment presented during an official ceremony at the President’s Office.
The oath of office was administered by Supreme Court Justice Dr Mohamed Ibrahim, after which Hassan Rasheed signed the declaration of oath. He previously served as a State Minister at the Ministry of Housing.
In a separate appointment, the President named Mohamed Hussain Shareef as Chief Government Spokesperson at the President’s Office, granting him ministerial rank.
According to the President’s Office, Shareef brings extensive experience in government communications and diplomacy. He has previously served as a Cabinet minister and represented the Maldives as ambassador to several countries. He is also no stranger to the role, having served as Chief Government Spokesperson from 2005 to 2007, followed by a term as Presidential Spokesperson between 2007 and 2008. During that time, he played a key role in establishing the Strategic Communications Unit at the President’s Office. Most recently, he served as the Maldives’ Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates.
These appointments come as part of a major cabinet reshuffle announced on Tuesday by President Muizzu, which also included the reappointment of several ministers and a broad restructuring of the government’s administrative framework.
The changes, formalised through a directive issued by the President’s Office, include the dissolution of several ministries, the establishment of a new ministry, the renaming of existing institutions, and the reallocation of oversight for a number of agencies.
As part of the restructuring, the Ministry of Climate Change, Environment and Energy has been newly established.
Meanwhile, several ministries have been dissolved, including the Ministry of Social and Family Development; the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation; the Ministry of Higher Education, Labour and Skills Development; the Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Information and Arts; the Ministry of Cities, Local Government and Public Works; and the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Welfare.
