President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has invited the public to share their views on proposed changes to the structure and election of councils in the Maldives. Speaking to the people of GDh Fiyoari, he stressed that these reforms would be made with public input to ensure they reflect the needs of the people.

One suggestion involves reducing the number of councils, though the President acknowledged concerns about its impact on democratic representation. As an alternative, he proposed keeping the current number of councillors but making the president and vice president full-time roles, while other councillors would receive allowances for each meeting they attend.

He suggested similar changes for Women’s Development Committees (WDCs), where the president and vice president would work full-time, and other members would be compensated per sitting. For city councils, the mayor and deputy mayor could be full-time executives, with other members paid for their participation in meetings.

President Dr Muizzu encouraged open discussions on these ideas, urging people to share their thoughts and engage in technical and community-level debates. He emphasised his commitment to ensuring development is guided by public input.

The President concluded by reaffirming his goal to listen to the people and move forward with reforms that reflect their wishes.