Parliament on Tuesday accepted and intiated the prelimenary debate on the amendment to relax the eligibility criteria for candidates contesting in local council elections.
The amendment proposed by a government lawmaker was accepted by 30 MPs voting in favour while 13 were against.
The controversial amendment, if passed, would see the removal of a clause in the local council Act which states a full time student or a convicted felon would be ineligible for candidature in the elections.
The bill will be debated for three hours in Parliament, and a vote will be taken on whether to pass the amendment upon completion of the debate.
