Government Proposes Amendments to Abolish Atoll Councils, Reduce Number of Councillors

The government has submitted bills to parliament seeking constitutional amendments that would abolish Atoll councils and reduce the number of councillors.

The bill, proposed by Ibrahim Shujau, Deputy Leader of the ruling PNC parliamentary group and MP for Baarah, introduces changes to Article 230 of the Constitution, which outlines the President’s authority to establish local, city and atoll councils. Shujau’s proposal removes the legal basis for creating atoll councils, effectively dissolving the existing councils once the amendment takes effect. The amendment had been previously announced by President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu.

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According to the bill, the changes would come into force after the next local council elections, with current atoll councillors remaining in office until then.

Alongside this, the government has proposed a separate bill to reduce the number of elected members in local and city councils. The bill, submitted by Ibrahim Falah, Leader of the PNC parliamentary group and MP for Inguraidhoo, seeks to amend the Decentralisation Act. It introduces a tiered structure under which islands with fewer than 2,000 residents would elect three councillors instead of the current five, while islands with populations above 2,000 would elect five councillors instead of the current seven.

Provisions for women’s representation are retained and adjusted to align with the revised council sizes. Councils electing three members would reserve one seat for women, while those with five members would continue reserving two seats.

The reforms also extend to Women’s Development Committees (WDCs). The size of each WDC would correspond to the number of councillors elected on the island, and in a notable shift, the WDC President would be elected by secret ballot among citizens, reflecting the process used for electing council presidents.