President Mohamed Muizzu has approved the amendments to the Constitution and laws to abolish the Atoll Councils and elect fewer councilors for sparsely populated islands.
The Constitution, the Decentralization Act and the Local Council Election Act have been amended to bring these changes. All of the bills were ratified on Monday.
Article 230 of the Constitution to empower the President to establish the Atoll Council has now been removed. This means the Atoll Councils cannot be formed.
According to the amendments to the Decentralization Act, if the population of an island is less than 2,000, only three councilors will be elected. But islands with a population of more than 2,000 will get five councilors.
The councils are also required to have women members. At least one member must be a woman in islands where three councilors are elected. In islands where five councilors are elected, two councilors must be women.
The amendments include provisions giving additional powers to the Local Government Authority (LGA). The amendment would give the LGA the power to operate offices in each administrative area. The amendment also stipulates that the LGA is the official reporting and accountable body for the councils.
