Six members from four political parties were sworn in as
ministers in the government led by President Mohammed Waheed Hassan.
In a speech after the swearing-in ceremony, Hassan said
his government would carry forward the programs initiated by the previous
government.
"That is what we have to do to recover from the
problems we've had in the last couple of weeks," Hassan said.
His government would work to create a conducive
environment in which free and fair elections could be held, Hassan said.
New ministers for health, education, economic
development, transport, youth affairs and sports and tourism took the oath of
office in a short ceremony at the president's office in the capital, Male.
A new Attorney General for the island nation was also
sworn in. Hassan had appointed ministers for defense and home affairs earlier
in the week.
Presidential Spokesman Masood Imad said some slots in the
Cabinet were being kept open in case former President Mohamed Nasheed's
Maldivian Democratic Party changed its mind about joining the coalition
government.
The Maldives has been rocked by political turmoil since
Nasheed resigned Tuesday and was replaced by Hassan, who had been his vice
president. Nasheed claims he was ousted in a coup, a charge the new president
denies.
A senior US diplomat who met with Maldivian leaders on
Saturday said the country wasn't ready for early elections as a way out of its
political crisis.
"The police, election commission and judiciary are
not sufficiently prepared to ensure free and fair elections," US Assistant
Secretary of State Robert Blake said after talks in Male.
Political unrest, simmering for the last few months,
escalated after a senior judge was arrested by the government on charges of
political bias. Nasheed resigned when police and army soldiers joined the
protests against his rule.
The new government insists Nasheed stepped down
voluntarily, and although police have issued an arrest warrant against the
former leader, there has been no move to arrest Nasheed.
Hassan says he intends to strengthen the coalition to
help restore stability ahead of presidential elections due next year.
Tourism is the main industry in the Maldives, a chain of
nearly 1,200 islands off southern India blessed with sandy beaches and coral.
Most resorts are located near the beaches and remained mostly untouched by the
protests in Male and the southernmost atoll, Addu.