Amendment to limit Local Council by-elections sent to Committee

Parliament has accepted a government-proposed amendment seeking to reduce the number of by-elections held for local councils and Women’s Development Committees (WDCs) when the remaining term is less than one and a half years.

The amendment has now been referred to the Decentralization Committee for further review.

The proposed amendment to the Decentralization Act was submitted by Hoarafushi MP Ali Moosa on behalf of the government. It states that if a councilor resigns or a seat becomes vacant for any reason, a by-election will not be required if less than 548 days, or 1.5 years remain in the council's term.

The bill proposes that vacancies in WDCs will not require a by-election under the same condition of the remaining term being less than one and a half years.

During the preliminary debate held in Parliament yesterday, several members of the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) voiced objections, arguing that the proposed amendment, introduced under the justification of reducing costs, was unreasonable at a time when government expenditure on political appointees has significantly increased.

Despite the criticism, the bill passed the preliminary stage and will now be reviewed by the Decentralization Committee.

The government had previously amended the law in August last year, to hold by-elections for local councils and WDCs twice a year.