Parliament approves Adam Shareef and Thoriq for appointment as ambassadors

The Parliament has approved former cabinet ministers Adam Shareef Umar and Thoriq Ibrahim for appointment as heads of diplomatic missions in the Middle East.

Adam Shareef Umar and Thoriq Ibrahim were among 10 ministers who were asked to resign from President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu’s cabinet on April 14. Adam Shareef had headed the Local Government Ministry, while Thoriq had headed the Environment Ministry. They were both later appointed as ambassador-at-large, a minister-level position within the Foreign Ministry.

In May, President Muizzu asked for parliamentary approval to appoint Adam Shareef as the Maldivian ambassador in Qatar, and Thoriq as the Maldivian ambassador in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The Parliament, in which the ruling People’s National Congress (PNC) holds a supermajority, provided its backing to both Adam Shareef and Thoriq on Monday.

Adam Shareef secured the Parliament’s backing with a majority vote of 57-9, while Thoriq received a majority vote of 57-10.

The main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) voted against their appointment as ambassadors, with Vaikaradhoo MP Hussain Ziyad (Fitte) stating that it was reminiscent of back when the country used to banish criminals to distant islands as punishment.

Both Thoriq and Adam Shareef had been part of President Muizzu’s original 22-member cabinet. Thoriq was initially appointed as the environment minister, and then as environment and tourism minister after the two ministries were merged in February 2025.

But they, along with eight other ministers, were asked to resign on April 14. The President’s Office said at the time that they had resigned to provide room for President Muizzu to run the government “in accordance with the aspirations of the people.”

The major reshuffle came after the government suffered a heavy defeat on April 4 in the local council elections and a referendum seeking to combine presidential and parliamentary elections.