President to propose constitutional amendment to abolish atoll councils

President Mohamed Muizzu has announced plans to propose a constitutional amendment to abolish the Atoll Council when Parliament reconvenes for its final term of the year in October.

Speaking during a meeting in AA. Mathiveri on Tuesday, the President said the move is intended to strengthen the decentralisation system by empowering local councils to work directly with government agencies without an additional administrative layer.

The Atoll Council was established under the Constitution, and therefore, its abolition would require a constitutional amendment.

Recent amendments to the Decentralisation Act have already limited some powers of councils in the final year of their term. The amendments, passed by Parliament amid opposition criticism, were ratified by the President last week.

He said further reforms would be introduced to simplify the structure and ensure councils work more effectively.

“The Atoll Council is a layer that prevents direct empowerment of the people,” President Muizzu said. “Once it is abolished, island councils will work directly with the relevant agencies.”

In addition to abolishing the Atoll Council, President Muizzu said he would propose reducing the number of councillors in island councils. Under the proposed changes:

City councils will be exempt from these changes, although the President said minor adjustments may be considered.

The opposition has alleged that the government intends to replace Atoll Councils with “Atoll Chiefs” appointed by the President. However, President Muizzu did not refer to such appointments in his remarks.

The government maintains that the objective of the reforms is to streamline governance and improve the effectiveness of local councils.