The 20th House of Representatives will hold the first session of its extraordinary period tomorrow, Sunday. This marks the first extraordinary session for the House since its election, following the issuance of a Royal Decree summoning Parliament to review several draft laws listed on the session's agenda.
اضافة اعلان
The Royal Decree was issued on June 28, 2026, convening Parliament for the extraordinary session starting Sunday, July 12, 2026.
The decree includes six draft laws: the Local Administration Law of 2026, an amendment to the Jordanian Universities Law of 2026, an amendment to the Real Estate Property Law of 2026, the Abolition of the Civil Consumer Corporation Law of 2026, the Regulation of Vocational Work Law of 2026, and the Accreditation and Quality Assurance Higher Education Institutions Law of 2026.
The House of Representatives will debate these legislations according to constitutional procedures before passing and referring them to complete their legislative cycles.
The "Local Administration" bill tops the priorities of this session. It is considered one of the most prominent pieces of legislation aimed at developing the local governance system and enhancing its developmental role. The Cabinet approved the draft on May 24, 2026, and referred it to Parliament to complete the necessary constitutional steps.
The draft law aligns 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 translates royal directives outlined in the Letter of Designation regarding the review and development of local administration legislation, alongside fulfilling commitments included in the government's policy statement.
Prior to drafting the law, the government held extensive dialogues with parliamentary blocs, MPs, the Senate's president and members, various relevant entities and sectors, former municipal ministers, and experts. It also utilized public opinion polls, studies, and ideas put forward during the preparation stages.
The draft law focuses on enhancing local administration governance, linking it to sustainable development, expanding community participation, strengthening accountability and oversight, and upgrading service quality for citizens. It also aims to transition municipalities from traditional service roles to more effective developmental and investment roles by focusing on urban and strategic plans linked to citizens' needs and stimulating local economies in the governorates.
The bill reorganizes the relationship between the municipal council and the executive body by clearly defining roles. The municipal council will handle policy-making, strategy drafting, decision-making, and oversight, while the executive and administrative body will prepare and implement plans, enhancing accountability and preventing overlapping authorities.
Furthermore, the draft law preserves the democratic approach stemming from the political modernization document by maintaining the direct secret ballot system for electing the municipal council president and its members via two separate ballots, while introducing measures to boost election integrity.
The project reinforces the executive administration's role in planning and execution by enabling it to draft and implement strategic, developmental, urban, and service plans to submit to the municipal council. This allows the council to monitor, oversee, and exercise accountability more effectively.
The draft maintains the mandatory appointment of a municipal executive director to lead the administrative and executive body. This step aims to improve municipal work efficiency, promote automation and digital transformation, and elevate public services, provided that the appointment conditions and duties are regulated under a specific bylaw.
Additionally, the bill expands the mayor's powers to monitor service quality, follow up on stalled projects, and boost coordination with official bodies, utility services, and the local community without infringing upon the powers of the municipal council or the executive body.
Regarding governorate councils, the draft stipulates restructuring them to include elected representatives from governorate-level bodies, such as professional associations, women's and farmers' unions, and chambers of commerce and industry. This aims to transform them into platforms for developmental and investment planning aligned with national plans, needs assessment guides, and international service standards, while mandating that the vice president of the governorate council must be a woman.
The bill also reinforces transparency and accountability by requiring the executive administration to submit monthly and quarterly financial and administrative performance reports to the municipal council. These reports will detail project progress and execution challenges. Performance reports for the municipality—including both the council and the executive body—will also be published periodically on official websites and electronic platforms to boost public trust.
This session gains significant importance as it represents the first extraordinary session of the 20th Parliament, addressing a package of draft laws covering local administration, higher education, real estate property, vocational work, and quality accreditation, alongside repealing the Civil Consumer Corporation law, reflecting ongoing legislative modernization across various sectors.
(Petra - Mahmoud Khatatbeh)
