During a legislative session on Wednesday, the House of Representatives approved Article 36 of the 2026 Local Administration Draft Law as passed by the Parliamentary Administrative Committee. The article regulates the term length of municipal councils, their dissolution, the postponement of elections, transition management mechanisms for municipalities, and procedures for addressing a loss of legal quorum among municipal council members.
اضافة اعلان
Under the article, a municipal council's term lasts for four years, starting from the date it assumes office.
MOPs passed an amendment to the government-submitted text regarding the dissolution of municipal councils, explicitly specifying that the Cabinet holds the authority to dissolve a municipal council prior to the expiration of its term, in accordance with the conditions and cases defined by law.
The amendment mandates that upon the dissolution of a municipal council, a temporary committee must be appointed to manage the municipality and assume council duties until a new council is elected—provided that elections for the new council take place within a period not exceeding one year from the date of dissolution.
Establishing this one-year limit stands as one of the key amendments introduced by the Administrative Committee to the article. The original text submitted by the government had provided for the appointment of a temporary committee to replace the dissolved council until new elections were held, without specifying a fixed time frame for conducting those elections within this article.
The amendment also moved the provision regarding the Cabinet's authority to dissolve a municipal council out of the clause governing council terms, reformulating it into an independent rule that directly links the decision to dissolve a council with the appointment of a temporary committee and the election of a new council within one year.
Regarding the postponement of municipal elections, MPs kept the government’s text unchanged, permitting the postponement of elections in one or more municipal councils for a period not exceeding six months if public interest or election integrity requires it. Such a postponement decision must be issued by the Board of Commissioners of the Independent Election Commission in accordance with the law.
The period of postponement is deducted from the term of the newly elected municipal council. However, if a postponement decision applies to all municipal councils nationwide, the postponement period is not counted toward the statutory term of the newly elected councils.
During the postponement period, a temporary committee manages the municipality. If the postponement period expires and conducting elections remains unfeasible, the Cabinet takes the appropriate decision regarding the municipality.
MPs also maintained the provision concerning a shortage of municipal council members below legal quorum, dictating that vacancies be filled or appropriate measures taken in accordance with the law to ensure the continuous operation of the municipal council until elections take place.
