Malé council to shrink under new decentralisation amendment
- Maldives
The government has proposed significant amendments to the Decentralisation Act, including reducing the number of island councillors and restructuring the composition of city councils. The proposed changes were submitted to Parliament on Saturday.
Under the amendment, islands with populations of fewer than 2,000 will elect three councillors, while islands with larger populations will elect five. The amendment was submitted by PNC Parliamentary Group Leader and Inguraidhoo MP Ibrahim Falah.
At present, Article 24 of the Decentralisation Act requires:
Islands with fewer than 3,000 residents to elect five councillors, including one woman.
Islands with more than 3,000 residents to elect seven councillors, including three women.
The amendment reduces these numbers. It also sets reserved seats for women as follows:
Two designated seats for women in councils of three members.
One designated seat for women in councils of five members.
The amendment also reduces the number of Malé City councillors. Current law requires:
Seven councillors for cities with populations between 10,000 and 30,000.
Thirteen councillors for cities with populations between 30,000 and 60,000.
Nineteen councillors for cities with populations above 60,000.
Malé currently has 19 councillors. The proposed amendment states that Malé City Council shall consist of the Mayor and a number of councillors equal to the number of parliamentary constituencies allocated to Malé. As Malé has 16 constituencies, the council would be reduced from 19 to 16 members.
The amendment also proposes that Fuvahmulah City Council consist of nine members, including the Mayor.
The bill does not specify the exact number of councillors for the remaining cities, but the total number will be lower than under current law.
Alongside the proposed changes to the Decentralisation Act, the government today submitted a constitutional amendment to abolish Atoll Councils entirely. The amendment to the Act therefore removes the full chapter governing Atoll Councils and all provisions linked to them.
A separate bill to amend the Local Councils Act was also submitted by PNC MP Hamad Abdulla on behalf of the government, aiming to reduce the number of councillors and formally abolish the Atoll Council structure.
