President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has ratified the Fifteenth Amendment to Act No. 7/2010 (Decentralisation Act).
This Amendment has been introduced in response to the growing number of mid-term vacancies in local councils, which has led to frequent by-elections. It aims to ease the increasing financial strain associated with holding these elections.
The newly ratified amendments introduce key reforms including the following:
- If the position of council chairperson becomes vacant with 548 days or fewer remaining in the council’s term, a replacement will not be elected unless the remaining members are too few to meet the quorum required to convene a council meeting.
- Similarly, if a position on the Women’s Development Committee (WDC) becomes vacant with 548 days or fewer left in the committee’s term, a replacement will not be elected unless the number of remaining members is insufficient to meet the quorum required to hold a committee meeting.
The bill was passed during the 32nd sitting of the first session of the 2025 parliamentary term on Thursday, May 15, 2025.
Following its ratification, the Amendment has been published in the Government Gazette and has now come into legal effect.