# Ali Waheed

Ali Waheed (Dhivehi: ޢަލީ ވަޙީދު; 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) and the Chairperson of the Jumhooree Party. 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 and Thoddoo, Ali Waheed was born and raised in the capital city of Malé. He underwent primary and secondary education at Jamaluddin School and Majeediyya School. 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, Malaysia and holds a bachelor's degree 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 (DRP), the political party of the then incumbent President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom. 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 (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 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 to Tourism Ministry Staff. Economic Minister Fayyaz took over the Ministry of Tourism on July 9, 2020.