Parliament approves 2 members to LGA board

Parliament on Wednesday approved the appointment of Aishath Arifa and Mohamed Arif as members of the Local Government Authority (LGA) board.

President Dr Mohamed Muizzu submitted the two nominations to Parliament earlier this month as the terms of three board members requiring parliamentary approval are due to expire on 20 September.

Aishath Arifa, of Thibroazge, GDh. Gaddhoo, was nominated for the board seat allocated to a woman with experience in gender equality.

Mohamed Arif, of Rathvilaage, Sh. Kanditheemu, was nominated for the seat allocated to a person with experience in governance or public administration.

Parliament’s Decentralisation Committee reviewed both nominations and awarded each candidate a score above 75%. The committee recommended their approval and submitted its report to Parliament.

During Wednesday’s sitting, Arif’s appointment was approved with 59 votes. No MPs voted against his nomination.

Arifa received 48 votes in favour, while nine opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MPs voted against her appointment.

In addition to the three members whose appointments require parliamentary approval, the LGA board includes representatives from the government and local councils.

The board is chaired by Minister of Finance and Public Enterprises Hassan Zareer. LGA Chief Executive Officer Mohamed Nimal, who is appointed by the President, also serves on the board.

Other positions include a representative elected from among city councillors, a representative elected from among island councillors and an employee of the Ministry of Finance designated by the Finance Minister.

The two seats allocated to representatives elected from among local councillors remain vacant.

The opposition MDP has raised concerns over delays in holding elections for the two positions.

The LGA has said the elections were postponed because work required for the election process had yet to be completed.