Parliament of the Maldives has passed the amendment to the Special Act on Local Council Elections, allowing the elections to be held amid the State of Public Health Emergency.
The amendment bill to the Special Act on Local Council Elections was proposed by the government to allow the elections to be held even if health authorities do not lift the State of Public Health Emergency declared in the Maldives. The amendment bill was passed by the parliament on January 19, with votes from 38 parliamentarians present at the sitting.
In addition to allowing the elections to be held amid the health emergency, the amendment bill also mandates an election date to be allocated and preparations to begin three days after the date is announced. The bill also states the Director General of Public Health is required to publish the guidelines for conducting the elections, within 7 days after Elections Commission of the Maldives (ECM) begins preparing for the elections.
The local council elections were initially scheduled to be held on April 4, 2020. However, following the declaration of the State of Health Emergency in the Maldives on March 12 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the elections had to be postponed.
The Special Act on Local Council Elections was ratified by President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih in May 2020, allowing the elections to be postponed. The Act had originally stated that the elections can only be held after health authorities lift the State of Health Emergency and guarantee there is no risk in conducting the elections.
The government submitted the amendment bill to the Special Act on Local Council Elections after the Director General of Public Health decided to extend the State of Public Health Emergency until February. ECM states elections can still be held in April if the amendments are ratified and implemented by the end of January.