Parliament rejects bill on re-election of City Council members

The Parliament has rejected the amendment bill to Decentralisation Act, on re-election of members of City Councils.

The bill was filed by Vilufushi MP Riyaz Rasheed, and 24 out of 62 MPs voted in favour of the Parliament accepting the bill, while 35 voted against it. Three MPs abstained.

Riyaz proposed two revisions to the Decentralisation Act.

He proposed to remove three sections of article 42, which means that it would no longer be City Council’s responsibility to maintain mosques, maintain cemeteries, and commemorate religious and national days of importance.

Riyaz’s proposed revision to article 43 states that the City Council shall comprise of members elected from every district – instead of city - of that electoral constituency.

Riyaz proposed that the City Councils will be dissolved upon ratification of the bill, and that the Councils would have to be re-elected within 45 days of the Act coming into effect.