The Cabinet of the Maldives () is the senior ministerial body of the executive branch of the Government of the Maldives. The President of the Maldives, who serves as both head of state and head of government, presides over the Cabinet. It assists the President in formulating and implementing state policy.
Ministerial institutions existed under the Sultanate of the Maldives before the introduction of a written constitution. The modern constitutional Cabinet was established on 22 December 1932 with the country's first codified constitution, which formally organised government into cabinet ministries. Over subsequent decades, the Cabinet operated under both monarchical and republican systems, ultimately evolving into a presidentially led executive body after the establishment of the Second Republic in 1968. Currently, the 2008 Constitution defines the Cabinet’s composition, responsibilities, and mechanisms for accountability.
The current President Mohamed Muizzu's administration has a 15-member cabinet following a restructuring of ministries on 14 April 2026.
History Pre-constitutional Government The Maldives had forms of ministerial government before the establishment of the contemporary constitutional Cabinet in 1932. Under the Sultanate, the monarch was assisted by senior officials and ministers known as the "Furadhaana". Husnu Al Suood describes these ministers as trusted advisers of the monarch who were responsible for executing royal orders and assisting in the performance of functions of state. The number of ministers and their functions were not fixed; they varied according to customary law, the circumstances of the period, and the officials appointed by the monarch.
Historical accounts indicate that a council of ministers existed several centuries before the introduction of written constitutional government. Al Suood, drawing on the account of Ibn Battuta, describes a fourteenth-century council which included officials responsible for the treasury, collection of revenue, policing, the navy and the army. Later accounts, including that of François Pyrard de Laval in the seventeenth century, record different compositions of the ministerial council, reflecting changes in the offices and responsibilities of government over time.
One of the most senior officials of the pre-constitutional state was titled "Kilege", whom Al Suood describes as the Grand Vizier or King's Lieutenant. Appointed by the monarch, the Kilege occupied a position of considerable authority and the ministers were subordinate to the office. Other offices also performed functions resembling those later associated with a prime minister.
Following the accession of Mohamed Thakurufaanu in 1573, Ali Haji was appointed "Dhoshimeynaa Thakurufaanu", an office which Al Suood describes as that of Prime Minister and which was responsible for the day-to-day administration of the affairs of state. The use of the term "Prime Minister" in this context is a modern description of the functions of the historical office rather than evidence of a modern Parliamentary system.
By the early twentieth century, the title of Prime Minister was used for the principal minister of the Sultanate. Abdul Majeed Rannabandeyri Kilegefaanu was serving as Prime Minister when the process of drafting the Maldives' first written constitution began. In March 1931, Sultan Muhammad Shamsuddeen III appointed a constitutional drafting body, with Abdul Majeed initially serving as its president. Establishment of the constitutional Cabinet, 1932 The contemporary constitutional Cabinet was established on 22 December 1932, with the introduction of the country’s first codified constitution. The subsequent institutional reform formalised ministerial government within a written constitutional framework and defined the position of ministers alongside the monarch and the newly established legislature.
The first Cabinet comprised twelve ministerial portfolios held by seven ministers. Mohamed Fareed Didi, a member of the royal family, served as Prime Minister and Minister of Defence; Hassan Fareed Didi as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Finance; Ahmed Kamil Didi as Minister of Home Affairs and Minister of Education; Ibrahim Ali Didi as Minister of Health and Minister of Public Works; Mohamed Didi as Minister of Agriculture; Hussain Salahuddin as Minister of Justice; and Mohamed Amin Didi as Minister of Trade. Amin Didi, who was 22 at the time of his appointment, was the youngest person to have served as a Cabinet minister, according to the President's Office.
The 1932 Constitution also introduced mechanisms for the accountability of ministers to the legislature. Ministers were required to answer to the legislative assembly, which was empowered to question them and investigate matters concerning their official conduct. The Constitution additionally provided a procedure for motions of no confidence against individual ministers. These provisions placed the Cabinet within the wider constitutional reforms which limited the previously extensive powers of the monarch and subjected the institutions of government to a written constitutional framework. Constitutional monarchy, 1932–1953 The Cabinet continued to operate during a period of repeated constitutional and political change following the introduction of the first constitution. The original 1932 constitutional arrangement was short-lived, but subsequent constitutions retained forms of constitutional government and ministerial administration.
The leadership of the Cabinet changed during the later years of the Sultanate. Amin Didi, who had entered the first Cabinet as Minister of Trade, subsequently held senior positions within government and became Prime Minister before the abolition of the Sultanate in 1953. The short-lived First Republic and restoration of the Sultanate, 1953–1968 The abolition of the monarchy and establishment of the First Republic in 1953 reorganised the executive, with Mohamed Amin Didi becoming the first President of the Maldives. The republic lasted until 1954, when the Sultanate was restored.
Following the restoration of the monarchy, Ibrahim Ali Didi, formally titled Ibrahim Faamudheyri Kilegefaanu, headed the government as Prime Minister. He was succeeded in 1957 by Ibrahim Nasir, who remained Prime Minister for the remainder of the Sultanate.
Nasir headed the government during the final years of the British protectorate and remained Prime Minister when the Maldives obtained full independence on 26 July 1965. The constitutional monarchy continued until 1968, when the Sultanate was abolished and the Second Republic was established. Second Republic, 1968–present The Second Republic was established on 11 November 1968, with Ibrahim Nasir becoming President. The change transformed the structure under which the Cabinet operated, placing it within a republican executive headed by the President.
The office of Prime Minister was revived shortly during the presidency of Nasir’s, and Ahmed Zaki became Prime Minister in 1972. Zaki remained in office until 1975, when he was removed; subsequently, the position was abolished. Executive authority thereafter remained concentrated in the presidency, with the President heading the Cabinet.
Nasir was succeeded in 1978 by Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who served as President for 30 years, until 2008. Under the 1998 Constitution, executive power was vested in the President and the Cabinet of Ministers, with the President serving as head of state and head of government and presiding over the Cabinet. The President appointed Cabinet members, who were responsible for assisting with the formulation of government policy, economic and social development, and the preparation of the state budget and proposed legislation.
Under this constitutional arrangement, ministers were individually responsible for their assigned functions and accountable to the President. The People’s Majlis, in which the President appointed a number of members, nevertheless retained a role in ministerial accountability, including the ability to pass a vote of no confidence against a Cabinet minister. Constitutional reforms of 2008 The adoption of the 2008 Constitution established the present constitutional framework of the Cabinet.
The Constitution introduced parliamentary approval for ministerial appointments, where the President must submit Cabinet appointments to the People’s Majlis for approval. The Constitution also defines Cabinet ministers' responsibilities in greater detail. These include assisting the President in determining and implementing state policy, advising on proposed legislation, directing and coordinating government work, managing state assets within their areas of responsibility, assisting in political, economic and social development, and protecting the rule of law, public safety and the public interest.
The first Cabinet formed following the adoption of the new Constitution took office under President Mohamed Nasheed in November 2008. Subsequent Cabinets have served under Presidents Mohamed Waheed Hassan, Abdulla Yameen, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and Mohamed Muizzu. These successive administrations have continued to reorganise ministries and adjust their jurisdictions.
Constitutional Framework
The Cabinet of the Maldives is constitutionally established under Chapter V of the Constitution of the Maldives. The Constitution provides for the appointment of Cabinet ministers by the President, defines the Cabinet's composition as including the Vice President, ministers, and the Attorney General, and requires the approval of the People's Majlis for Cabinet appointments other than that of the Vice President. Composition and Appointment Process The Cabinet of the Maldives consists of the Vice President of the Maldives, ministers responsible for the different ministries, and the Attorney General. Under Article 116 of the Constitution, the President has discretion to establish ministries and determine their areas of jurisdiction, subject to submission of that information to the People's Majlis (the unicameral parliament) for approval. Under Article 129, Cabinet members are appointed by the President and, except for the Vice President, those appointments require the approval of the People's Majlis. The Vice President, who is elected jointly with the President, serves as a member of the Cabinet without separate parliamentary approval.
The appointment process is set out in Article 129 is as follows: The President appoints and names his Cabinet Ministers, including the Attorney General. Within 7 days of the appointment, the President must submit the nominee's name to the Parliament for approval and confirmation. The Parliament votes to approve or not.
Responsibilities and Accountability The Cabinet exercises its executive authority in conjunction with the President, as outlined in Article 115(f) for the proper functioning of his office. Further, the ministers are given responsibility for each institution and authority established by the government or the Parliament, excluding independent institutions.
The Constitution outlines the general and executive authority of the Cabinet, and as under Article 132, these responsibilities include; To recommend and assist the president in; Determining the general policies of the State in all areas of government activity and to supervise and implement such policies in accordance with the Constitution. Formulating the general policies of the government in National and International matters, and to direct, review and coordinate the political, economic, and social development of the Maldives.
To advise and recommend draft bills and proposals to the president before the preparation of submission of such bills to the parliament.
To direct, review and coordinate any work of the Government.