Government Exceeds Limit on Political Appointments, Reaching 799 Staff

This information was obtained through right to information (RTI) requests submitted by Adhadhu to the President's Office and 22 ministries, covering the period from November 17, 2023, to May 1, 2024.

While 19 ministries responded to the RTI requests, the Education Ministry initially refused to disclose the information, citing policy formulation concerns but later complied after a hearing by the Information Commissioner's Office. The remaining 18 ministries provided details on the number of political appointees.

The Sports Ministry had the highest number of political staff with 195, followed by the Youth Ministry with 71 and the Gender Ministry with 66. Other ministries had varying numbers, ranging from two political staff at the Attorney General's Office to 58 at the Transport Ministry.

President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu had promised to cap political appointments at 700, including positions within the President's Office and Muleeage, as announced by his former spokesperson Mohamed Firuzul. However, the actual number has exceeded this limit, with additional information on political staff at embassies not accounted for in the Foreign Ministry's figures.

Four ministries, including the Local Government, Housing, Islamic, and Education Ministries, have yet to disclose their data, raising further questions about the total number of political appointees.