President to meet the press every Monday starting March

President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu states he will be meeting the press every Monday starting from March.

In his presidential address at this year’s inaugural sitting of Parliament on Thursday, the President emphasized the vital role a robust media, adding it is

He affirmed that his administration will remain a fundamental right of the public to have media that provides comprehensive and truthful information while upholding the principles and standards of an Islamic society.

President Muizzu reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to safeguarding this right and noted that, for the first time, the government has allocated MVR 27 million in state funding to 40 media outlets.

The President added that work on the development of a “Media Village” is being expedited to offer affordable workspaces in a move aimed at addressing the financial burden faced by media outlets due to high rental costs.

He reaffirmed the administration’s commitment to working closely with the media to ensure effective information sharing.

"To further strengthen my close and friendly relationship with the press, by the will of Almighty, I intend to personally hold regular weekly briefings for information dissemination. Starting from March this year, I will be meeting with journalists every Monday from 10:00am to 11:00am,” he said.

President Muizzu assured that the briefings will be held weekly unless he is on a trip or the allocated day falls on a holiday.

Additionally, the President announced that starting in March, each cabinet minister will meet with the press for one hour every week. He said further details on these engagements will be announced by the President’s Office at a later date.

Since taking office, the President has held two formal press briefings where journalists were allowed to ask questions, the most recent of which took place on May 3, 2025, to mark World Press Freedom Day. That briefing lasted nearly 15 hours, during which the President pledged to increase his engagement with the media. However, no further formal press conferences have been held since.

Concerns have continued over the perceived lack of engagement between the media and both the President and several cabinet ministers. Journalists have also previously staged protests and met with the President over a proposed media bill that included provisions to take action against individual journalists. While amendments were later introduced, the bill was passed, leading to the dissolution of the former Maldives Media Council and the Broadcasting Commission of the Maldives and the establishment of a new Maldives Media and Broadcasting Commission, which has since faced criticism over some of its decisions.