The People’s Majlis has accepted an amendment bill to the Maldives Constitution, seeking to increase the term of councilors from three years to five.

Speaker and Former President Mohamed Nasheed revealed that the bill will be reviewed by the entire parliament committee.

Alongside increasing councilors terms to five years, the state-submitted bill seeks to elect presidents and vice presidents of all councils through a public vote as well as to establish atoll councils that comprise of presidents from island council’s.

Under the amendment, council members are required to be elected through a secret vote as under the island or atoll’s democratic policies. Atoll councils are required to comprise of the council’s president, vice president and presidents of the constituency’s local councils.

Implementation will begin once the bill receives parliament approval and is ratified by President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih following which it will be publicized in the government gazette.

The bill was drafted in accordance to the government’s vision to strengthen the country’s decentralization system and to empower local councils.

During former President Abdulla Yameen’s administration, powers and responsibilities of local councils had been stripped. Restoring these powers and responsibilities, is included in incumbent President Solih’s campaign pledges.

The Decentralization Act is expected to be implemented before the local council elections, slated for April 2020.

Further, five percent of the annual budget will be given to local councils who are to be allowed 40 percent of the revenue from leasing reefs and to 100 percent of the total revenue from renting land over which they have jurisdiction in inhabited islands.

Local councils will also be given the right to collect fees for services and given the power to operate businesses their constituents can benefit from.

In addition, the proposed changes to the law also include reserving 33 percent of council seats to female candidates.