Amman, Aug. 13 (Petra) – The Parliamentary Administrative Committee approved the Local Administration Law of 2026 on Thursday, endorsing amendments designed to strengthen local governance, expand public participation and shift municipalities from primarily service providers into institutions focused on development, investment and local economic growth.

The draft, which will be referred to the Lower House for discussion in a plenary session early next week, introduces clearer divisions of responsibility between elected municipal councils and executive administrations. Councils will set policies, strategies and priorities, while executive administrations will prepare and implement plans and projects under council oversight.

Committee Chair Khalifa Diyat explained at a news conference that the amendments resulted from extensive consultations with experts and stakeholders, with the committee reviewing their observations and proposals to develop legislation that balances representation, administrative efficiency, local autonomy and oversight.

Under the draft, municipalities would assume a broader development role covering investment, local economic stimulation, infrastructure, strategic and urban planning, in addition to traditional services. The legislation also encourages partnerships with the private sector and joint projects between municipalities and governorate councils, particularly projects extending across municipal boundaries.

The committee also focused on strengthening transparency and accountability. Executive administrations would submit monthly and quarterly reports to municipal councils on financial and administrative performance and project implementation, while performance reports would be published periodically. A governance and oversight committee would also review budgets, plans and projects and monitor financial, administrative and service performance.

The draft retains the direct and secret election of municipal council presidents and members, while lowering nomination fees to remove financial barriers to participation. It also raises women's representation to 30%, guarantees a woman's seat on the municipal executive board and provides for the inclusion of people under 35 on governorate councils.

Diyat noted that the draft restructures governorate councils to strengthen representation and link their work more closely to development and investment planning. It also requires local plans to align with national priorities and promotes joint projects involving neighboring municipalities.

The legislation introduces needs assessments as a basis for setting project priorities and allocating resources, while promoting digital transformation and automation to improve procedures, revenue collection, service delivery and transparency. It also expands urban planning to cover land use, transportation, waste management, water and sanitation, and stormwater drainage, to support more integrated and sustainable municipal development.

On eligibility requirements, the committee stipulated a bachelor's degree for candidates seeking the mayorship of first-category municipalities, while maintaining existing requirements for second- and third-category municipalities and municipal council members. It also retained the requirement for a municipal director to be appointed through the Service and Public Administration Commission to strengthen administrative professionalism and separate executive functions from elected responsibilities.

Diyat also highlighted amendments expanding the mayor's authority to monitor services and projects and establishing a clearer distinction between policymaking and implementation.

The committee's deliberations, he noted, centered on modernizing the local administration system while ensuring effective oversight, transparent resource management, and meaningful public participation. The overall objective is to enable municipalities to identify local needs, plan accordingly, and translate priorities into development and investment projects that improve services and residents' quality of life.

//Petra// AJ

13/08/2026 16:33:01