Elections Commission (EC) has revealed the quota of council seats allocated for women, following the passing of the Amendment Bill to the Decentralisation Act.
With the allocation of 33% of council seats to women, 6 seats in Male City Council, 4 seats in Addu City Council and 2 seats in Fuvahmulah City Council have been allocated for women. Furthermore, 3 seats from all island councils serving a population of over 3000, and 2 seats from councils serving a population below 3000 have been allocated for women.
Speaking to PSM News, President of EC Ahmed Shareef stated the commission is currently in the process of determining the total population of Male'. He said the commission is working on distributing the population into different constituencies, adding it is expected to be completed before the end of December. Shareef said the exact seats allocated for women will be publicised soon, after which the application period will commence.
The Amendment Bill to the Decentralisation Act allocates 33 percent, or one-third of all council seats to women and grants financial independence to councils. The term of councils have also been extended from 3 years to 5 years. Local council elections are set to be held on April 4, 2020.