Transition chief appointed to organise transfer of power

The Civil Service Commission on Monday appointed Ahmed Latheef as the director general of transition to coordinate the transfer of power.

Latheef, from the Henveiru Seaweed house in Malé, was appointed Monday morning by CSC president Ali Shaheem at an event attended by commission members, senior staff and the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party’s secretary general.

Latheef previously served as the Maldives ambassador to China under former president Mohamed Nasheed. He is the brother of MDP chairman Hassan Latheef.

He was nominated by president-elect Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.

According to the law on the transition period, the director general must coordinate funding or services that Solih and his running mate Faisal Naseem require, such as office space and staff.

A maximum of MVR1 million (US$65,000) could be spent on the transition process until Solih and Naseem are sworn in on November 17.

This is the first time a director general of transition has been appointed to facilitate the change in government. The law was passed in 2010 but the process was not followed in 2013, as the election was delayed and President Abdulla Yameen took the oath of office the day after the second round run-off on November 16.

Ibu’s spokeswoman Mariya Ahmed Didi told the press on Sunday that while Latheef was nominated for the post, MP Abdulla Shahid will lead the transition on behalf of the joint opposition parties.

On Monday, a team from the MDP visited the President’s Office. Deputy chairman Ali Niyaz told Raajje TV that the team wanted to “check how things are arranged here to cope with the change in power.”