President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has formally requested parliamentary approval for the appointment of Thoriq Ibrahim as the Minister of Tourism and Environment following a recent cabinet reshuffle.

Thoriq, who had been serving as the Minister of Climate Change, Environment, and Energy, was reassigned after President Muizzu merged the Tourism Ministry with the Environment Ministry on February 1.

The decision came after the dismissal of Ibrahim Faisal as Tourism Minister on January 28, for reasons that have not been disclosed.

The letter seeking parliamentary approval was read in Parliament on Monday morning and has been referred to the Government Oversight Committee for review.

Thoriq and Faisal were both part of President Muizzu’s original cabinet, which was formed following his inauguration on November 17, 2023.

The merger of the two ministries has reduced the total number of government ministries from 22 to 20.