The Parliament has approved the amendment proposed to hold bi-elections to elect members for vacant seats, bi-annually. The bill proposed to bring amendments to the Decentralisation Act and the Local Council Election Act, was given the approval after a parliamentary debate and an analysis done by the Committee on Decentralisation.
Under the current Decentralisation Act, bi-elections must be conducted within 60 days following the vacancy of a local council seat. The proposed amendment seeks to extend this period to 183 days. The reason for this proposal was because frequent vacancies have led to numerous by-elections within short intervals, thereby increasing state expenditure.
The changes stipulate that the Local Government Authority (LGA) must inform the Elections Commission of Maldives (ECM) within 14 days of a seat becoming vacant, with the bi-election to be held within 183 days. If a vacancy results in a council lacking the necessary quorum for meetings, a new member must be elected within 60 days. However, if the vacancy pertains to a vice president or deputy mayor, the bi-election must occur within 30 days of the LGA's notification to the ECM.
Meanwhile, the amendment to the Local Council Elections Act indicates that by elections must be held twice a year. It specifies that the interval between these two annual by-elections should be no less than 120 days and no more than 183 days. The rule does not apply to vacancies of vice presidents and deputy mayors.
While these proposed amendments have been approved, bi-elections cannot be held within 365 days before the council's tenure is complete. Additionally, the members elected through the bi-elections will also serve until the tenure of the respective council is complete.