Speaker of the Parliament and former President of the Maldives, Mohamed Nasheed has praised President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih’s decision to appoint Ahmed Naseem as Health Minister.
President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih on Thursday appointed Ahmed Naseem to the office of the Minister of Health after Abdulla Ameen resigned from the post amid investigation into a controversial procurement deal. He took the oath of a Cabinet Minister in front of the President, administered by Supreme Court Justice Honourable Uz Husnu Al Suood.
Lauding President Solih’s choice for the post of Health Minister, Nasheed took to Twitter to state that the wise appointment comes at a time when the country is in need of an experienced leader to head the country’s health sector. Nasheed expressed his confidence in Naseem’s ability to bring about changes as minister.
Ahmed Naseem joined the Government in 1966 and has served in several key positions, including as Minister of State for Foreign Affairs. He had also previously held the portfolio of Minister of Foreign Affairs from March 21, 2011, to February 07, 2012 during Nasheed's administration. Prior to his new appointment, Ahmed Naseem had been serving as a Minister of the President's Office.
The Health Ministry was previously allocated as a slot of coalition partner, Jumhooree Party. While former minister Ameen had served on the cabinet as a representative of Jumhooree Party, some parliament members of the main-ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) were seeking to oust him prior to his resignation through a no confidence motion submitted at the parliament. The members pushed Ameen’s dismissal despite the party’s National Council deciding to back Ameen. The decision to appoint Naseem, who is a member of MDP, to the post has made the coalition allocations agreement questionable.
