Malé, Maldives —Former Auditor General of Maldives, Niyaz Ibrahim has questioned the benefits Foreign Minister of Maldives, Abdullah Shahid’s election as the President of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
Niyaz took to Twitter to express his concerns over the extensive use of public funds in Minister Shahid’s campaign for the UNGA Presidential elections. He noted that millions of public money have been spent on a campaign at a time when the country is already facing financial difficulties.
Niyaz asked the Foreign Ministry and Minister Shahid, why, he as an ordinary citizen of the Maldives should be excited about Minister Shahid’s elections to become the president of UNGA and what benefits would it bring to the citizens of Maldives.
In November 2021, the Maldivian government allocated more than MVR 4.3 Million in the 2021 budget for Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid’s campaign for President of UNGA.
Foreign Minister Shahid campaigned and won the 76th Presidency of the UNGA.
In addition to this, Maldives has also declared candidacy for membership of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) for the term 2023-2025. The UNHRC elections will be held in the year 2022.
