DRP Opposes Amendment to Raise Voter Threshold for Local Councils

The Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) has opposed a proposed amendment to the Decentralization Act and Political Parties Act that seeks to raise the minimum number of registered voters required for the establishment of local councils. The amendment, tabled in parliament by a member of the Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM), would increase the current threshold of 1,000 registered voters to 2,000. The PPM has argued that local councils should be established only when there is sufficient population and revenue base. This would effectively prevent the creation of new councils in densely populated areas of the capital, Malé, and would also halt the planned establishment of new local councils in several atolls and regions.