AMMAN — The Lower House on Wednesday approved by a majority vote the 2026 Local Administration Bill, comprising 70 articles.

 

During a session chaired by Lower House Speaker Mazen Qadi and attended by members of the government team, MPs approved the remaining 34 articles, after approving 23 articles on Tuesday and the first 12 on Monday.

 

MPs endorsed a recommendation by the Lower House Administrative Committee to remove a provision granting the Cabinet the power to dissolve municipal councils before the end of their terms.

 

The House also approved a revised provision allowing the Cabinet to dissolve a municipal council under specific conditions set out in the bill and requiring the appointment of a temporary committee to assume its functions until a new council is elected within one year.

 

MPs also approved a provision establishing a governorate council in each governorate with legal personality and financial and administrative independence, restoring the wording of the original bill after the Administrative Committee had proposed an amendment.

 

Under the bill, governorate councils will include representatives of municipalities, professional associations, chambers of commerce, farmers, voluntary institutions, women’s organisations, charitable societies and youth organisations.

 

Women must account for at least 30 per cent of council members, while three youth representatives under the age of 35 will be included, one of whom must be a person with a disability.

 

The term of each governorate council will be four years from the date of its formation.

 

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Local Administration Walid Masri said the main objective of decentralisation is to develop comprehensive development plans and establish sustainable local economies that create jobs across the governorates.

 

He said that the bill requires municipalities to prepare development and urban plans that collectively form a comprehensive governorate plan based on each governorate’s comparative advantages.

 

Masri stressed that decentralisation is a development objective and that reviewing previous experience aims to correct the course. He said the government is committed to strengthening local economies and ensuring development budgets are spent on projects rather than returned.

 

He added that the bill strengthens governance, accountability, public participation and efficient spending and introduces joint projects between governorates, potentially paving the way for projects between regions.

 

Masri cited the Ajloun Cable Car project as a successful model that could be replicated in other governorates based on their respective advantages.

 

He said that municipal elections had initially been scheduled for spring 2026, but the bill’s referral was delayed due to extensive consultations. The government held around 48 dialogue sessions involving more than 2,000 experts, specialists, MPs, senators and former ministers.

 

The Lower House referred the bill to its Administrative Committee on July 12. The committee approved it on August 13, following Cabinet approval on May 24