President declares Fuvahmulah a ‘city’ by decree

President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom, this Thursday, September 22, declared Gn. Fuvahmulah as a ‘city’.

The change in categorization was announced in a presidential decree issued by Yameen.

“I, with the power invested in me, hereby announce that the island of Gn. Fuvahmulah has been categorized as a city,” said Yameen, in the decree published on Government Gazette.

The decree read that Fuvahmulah fit the criteria to be categorized as a city. And that President was decreeing it a city using the authority he has as Maldivian President to do so in accordance with the Decentralization Act.

Criterions stated in the law for an island to be considered a city include a population of no less than 10,000 people, and availability of services stipulated by Local Government Authority (LGA).

LGA stipulates that an island, region or district needed to have the outlets for social and religious expression, resources for standardized education and health care and easy access to transport facilities, as well as sufficient economic opportunities before it can be officially categorized a city.