The parliament on Wednesday approved to appoint Judge Mahaz Ali Zahir of Drug Court to the vacant position on the Supreme Court bench.
All 55 lawmakers present at the sitting voted unanimously in Mahaz's favour.
Shortly before the vote, the parliamentary group of ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) held a sit-down, during which 32 out of 50 members agreed on a three-line whip to vote for Mahaz.
The other nominee for the post was Dhiyana Saeed, the spouse of Kaashidhoo MP Abdulla Jabir. Following the majority vote for Mahaz, whose name was called first, the parliament floor did not raise Dhiyana's candidacy for a vote.
Mahaz earned his Bachelor's Degree in Law at then-Maldives College of Higher Education, which is currently the Maldives National University. He achieved his Masters Degree in Comparative Law at the International Islamic University Malaysia.
The judge, who is fluent in the languages Dhivehi, English and Arabic, had served as assistant state attorney at the Attorney General's Office for seven months, and as assistant public prosecutor at the Prosecutor General's Office from September 2008 to February 2012. Until his newest appointment to the Supreme Court, he served on the Drug Court bench.
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