Parliamentary Committee on Decentralisation has decided to extend the term of local councils from a period of three to five years.
The decision was based on the government proposition to change the term to five years, to which the majority of committee members voted in favour. According to the government, a three-year term does now allow the councils to successfully plan and execute the development projects necessary in the islands.
Another reason for the change is the cost involved in having local council elections every three years. The decision to change the term to five years is also an electoral pledge of President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih. The changes proposed to the constitution to empower the councils more is being evaluated by an 11-member temporary committee. The proposition of the government has been approved without changes and has been forwarded to the floor.
Once the president ratifies the amended bill, the councils elected in April 2020 will serve a period of 5 years, aligning all three major elections in Maldives. The government is amending the Decentralisation Act in addition to the changes brought to the constitution as part of the efforts to decentralise the administration of the country.
The current system elects presidents and vice presidents of island and atoll councils as well as the mayors of city councils via a vote amongst the councillors. However, the newly proposed amendments require a public vote to decide these positions. The government depicts the proposal as a major positive change towards better governance.