The People’s Majlis has scheduled to hold an extraordinary parliamentary sitting next week.
The sitting is scheduled for January 13, at 8:30pm and will see the amendments to the legislation required to ensure that the Local Council and Women's Development Committee (WDC) elections can take place within the required deadline.
During the extraordinary sitting, MP for Hulhumalé constituency Ali Niyaz is scheduled to carry out the first reading of the amendment legislation.
This comes at a time Attorney General Ibrahim Riffath had also noted that the amendment to the legislation will be proposed to the parliament as soon as possible, as the elections may only be held once the Special Provisions Act on Local Council Elections is amended.
The Local Council Elections and the Women’s Development Committee elections were postponed indefinitely through a special Bill, ratified by President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih on 10th May 2020. The bill stated that the Local Council Elections were being postponed in light of the ongoing pandemic, and that the Council and Women's Development Committees' elections, which were originally scheduled to be held in April 2020, will take place one year after the bill’s ratification; the deadline for the voting is May 9.
However, the Health Protection Agency (HPA) has stressed that the elections cannot be held reasonably or safely at the present time due to preventive measures enacted while the country remains under a state of national health emergency.
On Wednesday, President of the Elections Commission, Ahmed Shareef announced the possibility of holding the Local Council Elections and the Women’s Development Committee Elections on April 3, if the Special Provisions Act on Local Council Elections is amended.
Speaking on RaajjeTV’s ‘Fala Surukhee’ programme on Wednesday night, the Elections Commissioner noted that according to the Maldives constitution, holding elections during a state of public health emergency will not be allowed and that discussions are under with the People’s Majlis regarding the council elections.
