Gov’t Submits Proposal to Abolish Atoll Councils Ahead of 2026 Local Elections

The government has submitted a legislative package to abolish Atoll Councils and restructure local governance ahead of next year’s local council elections. 

The proposals include constitutional amendments and revisions to both the Local Council Election Act and the Decentralisation of Administrative Areas Act.

Under the amendments, all references to Atoll Councils would be removed, effectively dissolving the councils and eliminating the requirement to elect Atoll Council members. Island councils would report directly to the Local Government Authority under the revised framework.

The proposal also seeks to reduce the number of elected councillors. Each council would have three members, except in constituencies with populations above 2,000, where five councillors would be elected. Changes are also planned for Women’s Development Committees, whose membership would be aligned with the number of councillors, while committee chairpersons would be elected directly by residents.

The government first announced its intention to scrap Atoll Councils on 19 August last year. President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has stated that the posts are redundant and pledged to remove them. Local Government Minister Adam Shareef Umar reiterated this position in a September interview, describing Atoll Councils as an unnecessary administrative layer.

The proposal also includes measures to reduce the size of island councils further, applying population-based thresholds to determine council composition.