President proposes 40% reserve for women in councils
The government is expected to submit the proposed constitutional amendments to the Parliament for consideration.
President Dr Mohamed Muizzu on Thurday announced that 40 percent of local council seats will be reserved for women, an increase from the current 33 percent quota.
The announcement was made during his weekly podcast, Rayyithunna Eku, where he outlined several changes proposed to the structure and electoral process of local councils.
According to the President, the government aims to strengthen women's participation in local governance. In addition to the quota increase, the government plans to introduce direct public elections for the chairpersons of Women’s Development Committees in both rural and urban areas.
"We have also decided to increase the opportunity to empower women. 33 percent of councillors are currently required to be women. We have decided to increase that number to 40 percent," President Muizzu said.
Other key changes proposed to local councils include:
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Abolishing atoll councils
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Allocating five councillors for islands with populations above 2,000, and three councillors for those with smaller populations
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Retaining the current number of councillors in city councils without further increases
President Muizzu stated that proposed amendments to the Constitution will be subjected to a public referendum.
The President also proposed additional electoral and constitutional reforms:
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Maintaining the current number of Members of Parliament
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Holding Presidential and Parliamentary elections on the same day
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Replacing the second round of the presidential election with a preferential voting system
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Resetting the start date of the presidential term to November
The government is expected to submit the proposed constitutional amendments to the Parliament for consideration.
