Ali Waheed (; born July 20, 1984), also known as Balak, is a Maldivian politician who served as the Tourism Minister of Maldives, former MP (

People's Majlis The People's Majlis () is the unicameral legislative body of Maldives. It has the authority to enact, amend and revise laws, as outlined in the Constitution of the Maldives. It is composed of 93 members as of 2024. Each year on the first Mon ...

) and the Chairperson of the

Jumhooree Party The Jumhooree Party (, ) is a political party in the Maldives. The party was founded by a group of MPs on 26 May 2008, and grew quickly, rapidly overtaking the Maldivian Democratic Party to become the largest opposition party in the Majlis for ...

. He was also the Chairman of New Radiant Sports Club.

Early life and education

Born on July 20, 1984, Ali Waheed is the only son of Mohamed Waheed and Zuhura Abdulla. Although his parents are from the islands of

Kulhudhuffushi Kulhudhuffushi () is the capital of Haa Dhaalu Atoll administrative division on Thiladhunmathi Atoll in the north of the Maldives. Kulhudhuffushi City is known as the "Heart of the North.". This city is famous for its mangroves (''Mashi Kulhi ...

and Thoddoo, Ali Waheed was born and raised in the capital city of

Malé Malé is the capital and most populous city of the Maldives. With a population of 211,908 in 2022 within its administrative area and coterminous geographical area of , Malé is one of the most densely populated cities in the world. The city i ...

. He underwent primary and secondary education at Jamaluddin School and

Majeediyya School Majeediyya School () is the first Maldivian government school, located in Malé, Maldives. It only accepted boys until the introduction of Primary Education in 2010, which allowed girls to attend the school as well. The English medium is follo ...

. Upon completion of secondary education at Center for Higher Secondary Education, Ali Waheed went abroad for his undergraduate studies. He completed his undergraduate studies at

Limkokwing University of Creative Technology Limkokwing University of Creative Technology (also called Limkokwing and LUCT) is a private university that has a presence across Africa, Europe, and Asia. With its main campus in Malaysia, the university has over 30,000 students from more than ...

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

and holds a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

of Mass Communication from the University of Curtin, Australia. Ali Waheed worked at the Presidents’ Office of Maldives for a short period of time before and after completing his undergraduate studies. During this time he was offered to work at the 2008 Presidential Elections. He quit his job at the Presidents office in order to pursue a career in politics, as the then Civil Service Act prohibited Civil servants from working at political campaigns and rallies.

Career

Political work and Parliament

Ali Waheed first entered into the Maldivian political arena as the Spokesperson of

Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party The Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (, , DRP) was a political party of the Maldives. On 2 June 2005, the nation's 50-member parliament voted unanimously to allow and operate political parties in Maldives. DRP subsequently submitted its registration on 2 ...

(DRP), the political party of the then incumbent President

Maumoon Abdul Gayoom Maumoon Abdul Gayoom ( ; born Abdulla Maumoon Khairi; 29 December 1937) is a Maldivian politician, statesman, diplomat and scholar who served as the 3rd president of the Maldives from 1978 to 2008. He previously served as the Minister of Tra ...

. He worked during the first democratic elections held in the Maldives to represent and defend DRP and President Gayoom's policies and other agendas. With the defeat of the 2008 elections, Ali Waheed ran for the first Parliamentary elections to be held after the ratification of the new Constitution, as a member of Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party. In the May 2009 election, he ran for the Constituency of Thoddoo and succeeded against his main opponent at that time from the ruling

Maldivian Democratic Party The Maldivian Democratic Party (, ''Dhivehi Rayyithunge Demokretik Paati''; MDP) is the first political party formed in the Republic of Maldives. The party is supportive of the promotion of human rights and democracy in the Maldives. It won ...

(MDP). After his election to Parliament, Ali Waheed also represented his party, the main opposition at the leadership level, being elected the first Deputy Leader during the 2010 DRP Congress. His close affiliation with the then DRP leader,

Ahmed Thasmeen Ali Ahmed Thasmeen Ali (; born 30 September 1966), is a Maldivian politician, diplomat, philanthropist and a businessman who was the former leader of the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party. Thasmeen started his career as a civil servant and after venturing in ...

was highly criticized by those loyal to the former President and the public as well. With the internal political disputes in DRP, Ali Waheed quit the party and joined the ruling party MDP in May 2011 with controversial criticism and allegations from both his former party and the general public.

Chairman of New Radiant Sports Club

In addition to politics, Ali Waheed took an active involvement in sports, particularly football. He became Chairman of the New Radiant Sports Club in 2011 for a four-year term. Founded in 1979, the Club is one of the oldest clubs in the history of Maldives. New Radiant has since his Chairmanship repeated its success after a few unsuccessful years and qualified for the 2013 AFC quarter-finals. Prior to being elected Chairman of New Radiant Sports Club, Ali Waheed served as the club manager for a brief period in 2008 and was appointed as the Maldivian National Football team Manager in the year 2011.

Minister of Tourism

Ali Waheed was appointed as the Tourism Minister on November 17, 2018. The President asked for the resignation of Minister of Tourism on July 8, 2020 on allegations of

sexual assault Sexual assault is an act of sexual abuse in which one intentionally Physical intimacy, sexually touches another person without that person's consent, or Coercion, coerces or physically forces a person to engage in a sexual act against their w ...

to Tourism Ministry Staff. Economic Minister Fayyaz took over the Ministry of Tourism on July 9, 2020.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Waheed, Ali Living people 1984 births Maldivian Democratic Party politicians Tourism ministers of the Maldives Politicians from Malé Majeediyya School alumni Centre for Higher Secondary Education alumni Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party politicians Leaders of the Maldivian Democratic Party