Decentralisation Act amendment reduces councillors by 424, saves MVR 187.9 million

Elections Commission has said that the Amendment Bill to the Decentralisation Act ratified by President Abdulla Yameen on Thursday would reduce the number of councillors by 424 and save MVR 187.9 million from the state budget.

The new law saw the reduction of the number of councillors in islands with populations exceeding 3,000 from seven to five, and the reduction of the number of councillors in islands with populations less than 3,000 from five to three; which brings down the total number of elected councillors from 1,083 to 659.

Earlier, MVR 507.6 million was spent on councillors’ salaries per three-year term, which will now come down to MVR 322.6 million – constituting a saving of MVR 187.7 million for the government.

The current term ends on 26 February 2017, and the new law will apply at the next election.

The amendment bill also brought down the population for a region to qualify as a city, from 25,000 to 10,000. The number of councillors per city is determined based on its administrative divisions.