Amendments seek to cut council by-election costs

Government has submitted two bills to the parliament on Monday to amend the council election regulations in a bid to limit the expenditure on local council by-elections. 

The proposed amendment was to hold by-elections within a year after the Local Government Authority (LGA) had notified the Elections Commission of the vacancy instead of holding the elections within two months. The result would be that instead of holding by-elections separately, the commission can hold by-elections at the same time, leading to reduced cost.

The amendment was proposed with an exception; in case of vacancy of the member's seat, which leads to the loss of the legal number or quorum required to hold a council meeting. In such a situation, elections will be mandatory within two months.

First reading of the two bills to amend the Decentralisation Act and the Local Council Elections Act was held at the parliament on Monday. Velidhoo MP Mohamed Abdulla Shafeeq submitted both bills.

According to the existing law, the Elections Commission is required to hold by-elections within two months after a councillor resigns from his post or the post becomes vacant. The election does not have to be held if the council has one year or less of its period when the post was vacated.

According to the amendment, a person will be elected with a by-election for the remainder of the term. As is stipulated in the existing law now, the elections will not have to be held if the remaining term is less than one year.

Addu Meedhoo MP Rozaina Adam submitted an amendment to the Parliament last year to resolve this issue. The bill is currently under review by the committee.

Rozaina, who chairs the Parliament's Committee on Independent Institutions, has proposed that by-elections for women's committees be held annually, so that all by-elections can be held together. In order to reduce expenditure, the atoll council of the committee is empowered to hold the by-elections under the guidance of the Elections Commission.

The bill on by-elections submitted by the government also includes councils, women's development committees and elections to be held within a year. However, the government's amendment does not empower the atoll council to hold by-elections.

The Elections Commission has spent MVR 1.4 million to hold by-elections for women's development committees. MVR 1.5 million is allocated from the state budget for such elections.