The by-election of the Male' City Council has been canceled after the amendment to the Decentralization Act was ratified on Monday.

The Decentralization Act previously required a by-election to be held within 60 days of a vacancy and if the council's term has one year left.

But the new amendment states that a by-election should be held if a seat becomes vacant and the council's term has 548 days left.

Male' Deputy Mayor Ahmed Nareesh resigned on March 12. He was later appointed as an advisor to the Minister of Youth Empowerment, Information and Arts.

The current Male' city council was elected in April 2021. The term of a council is five years. The council's term expires in April 2026. This means a by-election cannot be held under the new amendment.

According to the government, the new amendment aims to ease the increasing financial strain associated with holding elections.

But opposition parties have expressed concern as this could limit the representation of the people in local councils.

The newly ratified amendments introduce key reforms including the following:

• If the position of council chairperson becomes vacant with 548 days or fewer remaining in the council’s term, a replacement will not be elected unless the remaining members are too few to meet the quorum required to convene a council meeting.
• Similarly, if a position on the Women’s Development Committee (WDC) becomes vacant with 548 days or fewer left in the committee’s term, a replacement will not be elected unless the number of remaining members is insufficient to meet the quorum required to hold a committee meeting.