President Mohamed Muizzu has established a central government office in every atoll. The offices are formally called Integrated Service Centres and are known as Atoll Offices. They are meant to bring national agency services closer to residents.
The offices fall under the Ministry of Homeland Security and Technology. They follow constitutional amendments that abolished atoll councils, which Parliament passed and the president ratified in late 2025. No atoll councillors were elected in this year's local council elections, so the previous term was the last.
Island councils now report directly to the Local Government Authority, and the administration has limited council powers, including on commercial ventures.
The change remains contested. Some argue the abolition is unconstitutional and ignores the geography and administrative realities of the Maldives. In May, the Maldivian Democratic Party submitted a bill to restore atoll councils, which the ruling People's National Congress rejected using its supermajority.
