Committee backs amendment to publicly elect Presidents and VPs to councils

People’s Majlis Committee on National Security, on Sunday, provided their backing to the amendment to Constitution allowing for president and vice presidents of island and city councils to be elected through a public referendum involving the people of the constituency.

The amendment was proposed by Kudahuvadhoo MP Ahmed Amir and was passed with the vote of all Committee members present during the meeting.

MP Amir said that the law should include how council members elected by the people should be chosen to lead the councils. And that a democratic method should be adopted to choose presidents and vice presidents to councils.

Amir said that he strongly believed in including the people in the decentralization process. And believed the secret vote among council members to elect presidents and vice presidents to councils was not the most democratic method.

Article 231 (a) of the Constitution currently reads that those chosen for local councils should be elected through a secret vote in line with democratic principles by the people who belong to the constituency.

Article 231 (b) of the Constitution reads that presidents and vice presidents to the local councils should be elected through secret vote of council members.