The Local Government Authority (LGA) has announced guidelines on how to conduct the oath-taking ceremony for newly elected councillors, as well as the signing of declarations by members of committees working on women’s development.
According to the LGA, the oath-taking for newly elected councillors will take place on the 17th of this month. The guidelines provide detailed instructions on how to organise all aspects of the ceremony. They state that, to ensure maximum public participation, announcements must be made across the island starting from the 10th of this month.
Government offices operating on the island must also be invited to attend the ceremony, including their staff. If there is no magistrate on the island, arrangements must be made by the Secretary General to receive the attending magistrate. If a magistrate cannot travel to the island at the time of the ceremony, provisions should be made for the oath to be administered online. In such cases, the necessary information for participation must be shared with the magistrate in writing at least one day before the ceremony.
The guidelines also require that photos of the ceremony be uploaded promptly to the My Council portal, along with all required information. Additionally, photos and videos must be shared with television channels, radio stations, and news organisations operating in the Maldives.
Furthermore, within three hours after the first council and committee meeting concludes, details of councillors and members of the Women’s Development Committee must be updated on the My Council portal.
The oath-taking of councillors elected to various constituencies in the local council elections, along with the signing of declarations by Women’s Development Committee members, will be conducted simultaneously across all inhabited islands of the Maldives.
Under the Decentralisation Act, the first oath-taking ceremony for councillors and Women’s Development Committee members was held on 26 February 2011. Since then, holding such a ceremony at the beginning of each term has been a legal requirement.