Jordan’s House of Representatives will begin debating the Local Administration Bill of 2026 during a legislative session on Sunday, following its approval by the Parliamentary Administrative Committee, which introduced extensive amendments to its provisions.
The bill consists of 70 articles and regulates the affairs of municipalities and governorate councils.
The amendments address key issues related to local administration, including strengthening oversight and accountability, expanding the developmental role of municipalities, increasing the representation of women and youth, regulating partnerships with the private sector, supporting digital transformation, and reorganizing the relationship between elected councils and executive bodies.
The bill aims to strengthen local governance, improve the quality of services, expand community participation, and empower municipalities to play a developmental and investment role that contributes to stimulating local economies across the governorates.
It also defines the roles and responsibilities of municipal councils and executive bodies to prevent overlapping powers and enhance accountability and oversight, while maintaining the direct and secret election of municipal council chairpersons and members.
The bill also supports developmental and investment planning by ensuring representation for elected entities and less-developed areas, as well as different geographic regions, with the aim of achieving a fairer distribution of projects and development opportunities.
It includes measures to enhance automation and digital transformation and requires executive administrations to submit periodic reports on financial and administrative performance and projects, and to publish them through official platforms, thereby strengthening transparency and public confidence.
Shifting Municipalities from Service Providers to Development Drivers
Chair of the Parliamentary Administrative Committee, MP Khalifa Al-Diyat, said the bill clarifies the roles of municipal councils and executive and administrative bodies, helping improve institutional efficiency and establish responsibilities and powers more clearly.
He said one of the bill’s key foundations is to shift municipalities from their traditional service-oriented role to a developmental role, meaning their work would no longer be limited to sanitation, roads and daily services, but would also extend to development, investment, stimulating local economies, and participating in strategic and urban planning.
Al-Diyat stressed that the bill strengthens local public and democratic participation by maintaining the direct and secret election of municipal council chairpersons and members, while introducing measures aimed at enhancing the integrity of the electoral process.
Regarding the empowerment of women and youth, he said the bill raises women’s representation to 30%, guarantees a seat for a woman on municipal executive offices, and provides for the participation of young people under the age of 35 in governorate councils, broadening participation in local decision-making.
He also noted that the bill expands the powers of mayors in overseeing services and projects.
Regarding governorate councils, Al-Diyat said the bill restructures them to provide broader representation of elected entities and sectors and links their work more closely to developmental and investment planning, strengthening integration between local priorities and development plans.
Restrictions on Dissolving Councils and Appointment of Executive Directors
MP Ayatallah Al-Freihat, a member of the Parliamentary Administrative Committee, said the committee introduced substantial amendments to the bill following a series of meetings and consultations with the government, relevant authorities, specialists and various groups involved in municipal affairs.
Al-Freihat told Al Mamlaka that the bill contains 70 articles covering various aspects of local administration, including municipal affairs and the work of governorate councils.
He said one of the most significant amendments is restricting the government’s authority to dissolve municipal councils and setting a specific timeframe for holding elections following the dissolution of any municipal council.
Regarding municipal executive directors, Al-Freihat said the committee agreed that their appointment should be made through the Public Service and Administration Commission, in accordance with the appointment procedures and examinations approved for public-sector employees.
He explained that the committee decided that the selection of executive directors should be based on competence and that their performance should be evaluated by an independent body, rather than being subject to the municipal council or the minister.
16% of Capital Budget Allocated to Municipalities
The amendments include allocating 16% of the state’s capital budget to municipalities, with the funds to be distributed according to criteria stipulated in the law.
Al-Freihat said the measure would strengthen municipalities’ ability to provide services and implement the projects required of them, while supporting their role in local development.
The bill also provides for the establishment of neighborhood committees in all municipalities, enhancing public participation in local decision-making. Municipal councils would be required to take the views of these committees into consideration on a number of issues, including urban and investment plans.
The amendments clarify the relationship between municipal councils and executive bodies, with councils responsible for policies, strategies and decisions, while executive bodies would be responsible for preparing and implementing plans.
Executive administrations would also be required to submit periodic reports to municipal councils on financial and administrative performance and project progress, with performance reports to be published.
30% Women’s Representation and Youth Participation
The amendments raise women’s representation to 30%, while guaranteeing a seat for a woman on municipal executive offices. They also provide for the participation of young people under the age of 30 in governorate councils.
The amendments retain the direct and secret election of municipal council chairpersons and members, alongside measures aimed at enhancing the integrity of elections.
The committee also raised the minimum age for candidacy from 22 to 25. Al-Freihat said the committee considered 22 to be an age at which a person may still be pursuing university studies or just beginning their career, while reaching 25 provides greater opportunities for experience, engagement in professional life and the ability to assume responsibilities associated with municipal work.
The amendments also reduce candidacy fees to broaden political and local participation and promote equal opportunities.
Candidates seeking to head Category 1 municipalities must hold a bachelor’s degree, while candidates for mayors of Category 2 and Category 3 municipalities and membership in all municipalities must be able to read and write.
From Service Provision to Development
The amendments seek to expand the developmental role of municipalities by strengthening their powers in development, investment, stimulating local economies, and strategic and urban planning.
They also allow joint projects to be implemented between governorate councils and neighboring municipalities when projects extend beyond the boundaries of a single municipality. In addition, they regulate partnerships with the private sector to implement development, service and investment projects.
The amendments link the prioritization of projects to a regional needs assessment, directing projects and resources according to actual needs, with a particular focus on less-developed areas.
They also strengthen integrated urban planning to cover land use, transportation, waste management, water and wastewater services, and stormwater drainage.
Restructuring Governorate Councils
Al-Freihat said governorate councils were among the most prominent issues discussed by the committee and contributed to delays in approving the bill due to differing views on the matter.
The amendments reorganize governorate councils and link their work to developmental and investment planning. They also provide for one representative from each municipality in the governorate to serve on the governorate council, with the representative nominated by the municipal council.
The amendments also establish an Institutional Governance and Monitoring Committee to review budgets, plans and projects and monitor financial, administrative and service performance.
They support digital transformation and automation in municipal operations to improve procedures and service quality, increase revenues and enhance transparency.
The amendments also introduce the concept of the Developmental Urban Municipal Observatory, a digital platform providing a unified municipal database to support decision-making and direct resources toward development priorities as well as urban and strategic planning.
