Ahmed Saleem (Redwave Saleem) has once again been elected Chairperson of the interim committee tasked with reviewing next year's state budget.

The 2027 budget was presented to Parliament on Thursday last week by Finance Minister Moosa Zameer.

Speaker Abdul Raheem Abdulla decided that the budget would be reviewed by a joint committee comprising members of the Finance Committee and Economic Committee.

At a meeting held on Wednesday, Funadhoo MP Ahmed Mamdhooh proposed Saleem as chairperson, with Kelaa MP Abdulla Shareef seconding the motion.

The proposal was unanimously approved by the committee members present.

Fuvahmulah Central MP Ali Faza was elected Vice Chairperson.

The government has proposed a state budget of MVR 59.7 billion for 2027, MVR 4.5 billion lower than the MVR 64.2 billion allocated for this year.

The proposed budget amounts to 46.1 percent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP).

Despite the reduction in overall spending, the budget deficit is projected to increase by MVR 1.9 billion compared to this year.

The deficit is expected to reach MVR 9.4 billion in 2027, compared to the projected MVR 7.5 billion this year.