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Parliament approves constitutional amendment to extend council terms

The Parliament of the Maldives has passed the constitutional amendment to extend the current term of local councils until new councillors can be elected.

The government proposed an amendment to the constitution to extend the current term of local councils, as the incumbent term is set to expire on June 3 while the local council elections have been postponed due to COVID-19. Following extensive deliberations by parliamentarians and the counsel of the Supreme Court on the matter, the amendment was passed with votes from 74 parliamentarians.

The amendment includes two additions to clause 231 of the constitution. The first addition states incumbent councillors will remain in office until new councillors can be elected. The second addition states councillors who remain in office upon the extension must act in accordance to a specific law to be passed by the parliament.

This was the fifth amendment brought to the constitution since its ratification by former President Maumoon Abdul Gayyoom in August 2008.