The Elections Commission of Maldives (ECM) has stated that it is likely that the local council and Women’s Development Committee (WDC) by-elections slated for February next year are likely to be the final by-election for the current term.
According to amendments to the Decentralisation Act and Local Council Elections Act, which were introduced due to high costs of by-elections for and the logistical challenges and the citizens, by-elections for WDCs are held once a year, and twice a year for local councils. While the first by-election under the new amendments have been announced, the election will include five local council seats and 28 WDC vacancies. The by-election is scheduled to be held on 8 February 2025.
According to the new amendments, if less than one year remains in the term when a vacancy opens up on a local council or WDC, it is not mandatory to re-elect a member to fill the vacancy. In this case, a by-election is only required if the council or committee’s quorum is affected due to the vacancy. The new amendment also prohibits elections during Ramadan, and an election may only be held ten days after Ramadan ends.
Therefore, if another election is to be held next year, it has to be scheduled for April or after. However, by then, the term of WDC members and local councils would fall below the one-year threshold, making an additional by-election unnecessary unless due to quorum issues.
While current term of local councils and WDCs expire in April 2026, these reasons make it possible that the 8 February election may indeed be the last by-election for the current term.