Parliamentarians have expressed support for finding a solution to the issue of the Elections Commission of the Maldives (ECM) having to hold back-to-back by-elections for local councils and women’s development committees (WDCs).
Parliamentarian Mohamed Abdulla Shafeeq has proposed an amendment to the Decentralisation Act to hold the elections once per year. The amendment bill proposes to allow the ECM to hold an election within 365 days and states that by-elections should be held within 300-365 days of each other.
During the debate stage, many parliamentarians expressed approval of the amendment bill. As such, Parliamentarian Ahmed Abdulla highlighted the importance of reducing the state’s expenditure on holding back-to-back elections, noting that the funds should go towards initiatives that are beneficial to citizens. Parliamentarian Mohamed Shifaau said the current administration has played a huge role in implementing decentralised policies and empowering local councils.
Additionally, Chair of the Decentralisation Committee Ali Niyaz said the amendment bill is crucial in reducing state expenditure. He also said it was important to empower local councils and women and the state should look into the reason why members are resigning from their posts.