Maldives President expands cabinet; Nasheed remains defiant

The new ministers in President Waheed's cabinet are drawn from different political parties.

Maldives’ new President today inducted seven members into his expanded cabinet,including the country’s first woman attorney general,as he tries to entrench himself as head of a ‘unity government’ in the face of his predecessor’s refusal to accept his legitimacy.

The new ministers in President Mohamed Waheed Hassan’s cabinet were drawn from different political parties.

Among the cabinet ministers is Azima Shakoor,the attorney general of Maldives,who is the lone woman to get a ministerial berth.

Hassan also inducted into his government Mohamed Husain Sharif Mundu,the spokesperson of former dictator Maumoon Abdul Gayoom’s Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM).

While Mundu was given Youth Affairs and Sports portfolio,other members were Ahmed Jamshed (Health and Family),Ahmed Mohamed (Economic Development),and Ahmed Shamshed (Transport and Communication).

Ahmed Adheeb was appointed the Minister for Tourism and Asim Ahmed was appointed the Minister of Education.

The appointments came a day after US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Robert Blake met both the President and the former president Mohamed Nasheed,and backed the government’s proposal of a national unity government.

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However,Nasheed who has not accepted the legitimacy of Hassan’s government,refused to back down from his demand for a fresh election and snubbed US calls for a compromise.

He led yet another major rally last night in capital Male and reiterated his stand that the country needs a snap election to determine the genuine wishes of the people.

“We want an election and we will campaign for it,” Nasheed told a large gathering of his supporters last night.