The House of Representatives on Tuesday continued debating the 2026 Local Administration Bill, starting with Article 13 after approving 12 of the bill’s 70 articles.
The approved articles include provisions on the formation of municipal and governorate councils, municipal powers, urban plans, regulations governing travel by municipal council heads and members, and the mechanism for selecting municipal directors.
The House also approved by a majority an amendment granting elected municipal councils the authority to select the municipal director from among the three top candidates shortlisted by the competent public-sector appointment authority, based on competence and transparency.
The House approved regulations governing travel by municipal council heads and members on official missions or to participate in training programs and workshops outside Jordan.
The House referred the bill to its Administrative Committee on July 12. The committee approved it on August 13, after the Cabinet endorsed it on May 24.
The bill focuses on strengthening local administration governance, expanding participation, accountability and oversight, improving service quality, clarifying the roles of municipal councils and executive bodies, and enhancing the developmental and investment role of municipalities.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Local Administration Walid Al-Masri said municipal services are provided to all residents within municipal boundaries, regardless of nationality. He added that Jordanian cities include non-Jordanian residents who benefit from municipal services and may be subject to taxes, without this granting them the right to vote or participate in elections.
Al-Masri explained that the legal definition of a “voter” is limited to a Jordanian citizen who is entitled to vote, thereby distinguishing between a voter and an ordinary resident, whether or not the latter owns property.
He added that a “liable person” is someone who is required to pay amounts or fees under the provisions and mechanisms introduced by the committee responsible for collection and revenue recovery, stressing that such fees and financial obligations are unrelated to voting rights.
Al-Masri also stressed that the requirements and regulations governing travel by heads of administrative or local councils fall within the framework of governance and the public interest and do not constitute restrictions or control over elected councils.
He explained that leaving the country to carry out missions or visit countries that may not fall within the scope of diplomatic representation or official relations requires notifying the relevant authorities. He noted that this procedure is followed across various state institutions, with ministers and public employees required to notify the relevant authorities and Jordanian embassy in the destination country before traveling to ensure continuity of work, assign officials to perform their duties in their absence, and inform the government.
The Cabinet approved the Local Administration Bill on May 24 and referred it to the House of Representatives to proceed with its constitutional approval procedures.
The bill is in line with the outcomes of the Royal Committee to Modernize the Political System, the objectives of the Economic Modernization Vision and the Public Sector Modernization Roadmap. It also reflects King Abdullah II’s directives to the government in the Royal Letter of Designation to review and improve legislation governing local administration, as well as commitments made by the government in its ministerial statement.
The bill followed a series of intensive consultations conducted by the government with parliamentary blocs and lawmakers, the president and members of the Senate, various concerned sectors, former municipal affairs ministers, and sector experts and specialists. The process also incorporated ideas and proposals submitted, as well as the findings of opinion polls and studies.
The bill focuses on strengthening governance in the local administration sector and linking it to development, expanding community participation, enhancing accountability and oversight, and improving the quality of services provided to citizens. It also seeks to shift municipalities from their traditional service-oriented role toward a broader and more effective developmental and investment role by focusing on strategic and urban plans linked to citizens’ priorities and stimulating local economies in the governorates.
It clarifies the roles and responsibilities of municipal councils and executive and administrative bodies. Municipal councils are responsible for setting policies and strategies, making decisions and overseeing their implementation, while executive and administrative bodies are responsible for preparing and implementing them. This approach is intended to strengthen accountability and prevent overlapping powers.
The bill maintains the democratic process outlined in the Political Modernization Document by retaining direct and secret elections for municipal council heads and members, with separate ballots and measures aimed at strengthening the integrity of the electoral process.
The bill also strengthens the role of executive administrations in planning and implementation by empowering them to prepare and implement strategic, executive, urban, development and service plans and submit them to municipal councils, enabling the councils to monitor, oversee and hold them accountable.
It retains the requirement to appoint an executive director for each municipality to lead its administrative and executive apparatus. This is intended to improve the efficiency of municipal operations, enhance automation and digital transformation, and improve the quality of services provided to citizens. The conditions for appointment, duties, powers and termination of service will be determined under regulations issued for this purpose.
The bill also expands the powers of mayors and strengthens their role in monitoring service quality and stalled projects, as well as coordinating with official and service institutions and the local community, without undermining the powers of the municipal council or executive body.
The bill further seeks to develop the role of governorate councils by restructuring them to include elected representatives from various elected bodies at the governorate level, including representatives of professional associations, women’s federations, farmers’ organizations, chambers of commerce and industry, among others. The councils would serve as platforms for development and investment planning, in line with needs assessments and international service-delivery standards, as well as national plans and project monitoring. The bill stipulates that the deputy chairperson of each governorate council must be a woman.
The bill requires executive administrations to submit monthly and quarterly reports to municipal councils on financial and administrative performance and project progress under the annual budget and executive plan approved by the council. The reports must also identify any obstacles encountered during implementation. It also requires municipal performance reports covering both the council and executive body to be published periodically on municipal pages, platforms and official websites, in a move aimed at strengthening public confidence.
Following the bill’s final approval by Parliament, the government will amend more than 20 regulations related to the legislation.
