Anti-Defection Bill: Councilors and WDC members to also lose seats

Provisions in the anti-defection bill submitted to the Parliament by main opposition MDP state councilors and members of Women’s Development Committees (WDCs) will lose their seats if they change their political party.

MDP’s Baarah MP Ahmed Abdulla submitted the anti-defection bill to pave the way for individuals in electoral posts to lose their seats if they switch their political parties on February 14th.

The bill applies to parliamentarians, councilors in both island and atoll councils and members of WDCs.

As per the bill, it was submitted to ensure individuals elected to electoral posts remain true to the ideology they were elected upon and to increase public trust and confidence in such individuals.

The bill states that individuals elected to the parliament will lose their seats under these two circumstances:

• If they voluntarily resign from their party
• If they are registered to a party other than the party they were elected on [switching parties]

Recall votes can be asked against parliamentarians under two circumstances under this bill as well. They are:

• If party the individual was elected on expels him or her from the party
• If an independently elected parliamentarian signs to a political party

If the parliamentarian wins the recall vote, they will have the right to change parties. However, if the parliamentarian loses the recall vote, they will lose their seat. 

Meanwhile, the bill states three circumstances under which councilors and WDC members will lose their seats. They are:

• If they voluntarily resign from their party
• If they sign to a party other than party they were elected on
• If an independently elected councilor or WDC member signs to a political party

The bill states by-elections must be held for seats that become vacant in this manner. The individual who lost the seat will be permitted to contest the by-election.

The 18th parliamentary assembly also passed an anti-defection legislature; an act that was repealed by the MDP administration. The law also stipulated that floor crossing would result in the parliamentarian losing their seat.

14 MDP MPs switched to PNC after September’s presidential election following which the party, which then became the main opposition, emphasized the importance of an anti-defection bill. The first reading of the bill has been held following its submission.