Committee passes bill to avoid by-elections if 18 months remain in term

A parliament committee held past midnight passed a government-proposed bill aimed at significantly reducing the number of by-elections for local councils and Women’s Development Committees (WDCs).

The committee meeting, held at 12:30 am, lasted just 11 minutes and approved the bill without any amendments.

The proposal, submitted by PNC Hoarafushi MP Ali Moosa on behalf of the government, seeks to amend the Decentralization Act.

The bill proposes that by-elections will no longer be required if a local council or WDC seat becomes vacant with less than 548 days (approximately 1.5 years) remaining in the council’s term.

Currently, the law only exempts by-elections if 365 days or less remain in the term.

The agenda for today's Parliament sitting was circulated to members early this morning. The bill is expected to be fast-tracked during the final sitting of the first session of the current Parliament, which is scheduled for 1 pm today.

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.