A total of three different bills have been submitted to parliament in connection to the local council election that has been delayed due to the ongoing Covid-19 crisis.
The Maldives declared a 30-day state of public health emergency on March 12th.
Health professionals have recommended against public gatherings, such as elections, to curb the spread of Covid-19 in the country. As such, authorities are working to postpone the elections.
The first bill submitted to parliament in connection to the local councils seeks to allow the current council officials to retain positions until an election is held and new officials take office. Sponsored by Bilehdhoo constituency MP Ahmed Haleem, this bill aims to modify the Fifth Amendment to the Maldives Constitution. The first reading of this bill took place on Monday and members had debated the bill on Monday and Tuesday as well.
Both the Attorney General Ibrahim Riffath and the Parliament's Counsel General Fathimath Filza have confirmed that the current state of health emergency does not fall under the "state of emergency" described in article 253 of the constitution. Thus, assuring that there are no legal obstacles to amending the constitution under the current circumstances. Nevertheless, the majority of MP's disagree and believe that other legal solutions can be found.
Second is the ‘Local Council Elections Special Bill 2020’ sponsored by Thulhaadhoo constituency MP Hisaan Hussain which seeks to delay the local council elections, until 6th January 2021 at the latest. As per the bill, the extension given to incumbent councillors will be nullified as soon as new officials take office.
The third is the "special bill to ensure decentralized administrative divisions" sponsored by MP for West Henveiru, Hassan Latheef. This bill describes the protocol to be followed until new officials can take office.
The local council election was originally slated for April 4 but was postponed to April 18 in compliance with the state of public health emergency declared across the country.
