The House of Representatives approved 12 articles of the draft Local Administration Law of 2026 on Monday during a legislative session chaired by Speaker Mazen Al-Qadi.
اضافة اعلان
The House continued deliberations on the 70-article draft law. The session saw the approval of several definitions under Article 2, alongside discussions between MPs and government officials over terms such as "resident," "voter," "obligor," and "urban development observatory."
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Local Administration Waleed Al-Masri clarified that a "resident" refers to any individual—Jordanian or foreign—living within municipal boundaries who benefits from municipal services, whereas a "voter" is a Jordanian national entitled to vote.
He explained that an "obligor" is a person owing funds to the municipality, noting that the term connects to subsequent draft provisions regarding fee collection and bears no relation to voting rights.
Regarding the inclusion of the definition for "urban development observatory," Head of the Parliamentary Administrative Committee MP Khalifa Al-Diyat stated that the committee deemed it necessary to enable municipalities to leverage official databases, given their inability to establish independent observatories.
He explained that the central urban development observatory housed within the Cities and Villages Development Bank under the Ministry of Local Administration can assist municipalities in conducting studies and enhancing their developmental role using official data.
The House also discussed the phrase "unless the context indicates otherwise" within the definitions section. Former Minister Abdul Karim Al-Oudat explained that its inclusion aligns with long-standing Jordanian legislative drafting policy to allow flexibility, prevent conflicts between general definitions and specific provisions, and avoid rigid literal interpretation.
Deliberations further addressed the authority to designate landslide-prone and construction-prohibited areas. Al-Masri reiterated that this falls outside municipal jurisdiction, belonging instead to specialized scientific and technical bodies. He explained that responsibility for determining geological and topographical conditions and landslide zones was transferred from the Natural Resources Authority to the Energy and Minerals Regulatory Commission.
Regarding complaints from residents of Al-Taybeh, Al-Masri noted that the ministry referred the matter to the Royal Scientific Society, which designated a specific area as landslide-prone and hazardous to public safety. He added that the National Building Council will evaluate the response mechanism alongside specialized entities, academics, and representatives from several ministries.
He emphasized that final determinations regarding land suitability for construction, necessary precautions, or required interventions must be issued by competent scientific and technical authorities rather than municipal councils.
The draft law aims to shift municipalities from traditional service delivery to a broader developmental and investment role, enhance governance and accountability, and clarify the relationship between municipal councils and executive bodies—reserving policy-making, strategy, decision-making, and oversight for councils, while executive bodies handle preparation and implementation.
The Parliamentary Administrative Committee approved the draft law on August 13 following extensive deliberations, introducing amendments to define competencies, bolster oversight and accountability, and advance the developmental function of municipalities.
