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- Premier vows ‘solid’ partnership with Parliament on legislative reforms
- MPs deliberate Local Administration Law, raise concerns over decentralisation, elected councils’ powers
AMMAN — The Lower House on Sunday opened the first sitting of its extraordinary session, with six draft laws on its agenda, including the Local Administration Law, amendments to the Jordanian Universities Law, the Real Estate Ownership Law, the repeal of the Civil Consumer Corporation Law, the Regulation of Professional Practice Law and the Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission Law.
Prime Minister Jafar Hassan urged lawmakers to approve the draft laws his Cabinet referred to Lower House, describing the bills as “key steps in advancing Jordan’s political, economic and administrative modernisation efforts.”
Hassan also said that the government remained committed to working in partnership with Parliament to complete legislative reforms that serve the national interest.
“The government will continue to work closely with the Parliament, within the framework of the Constitution, in a manner that embodies cooperation, strengthens parliamentary oversight and enriches the legislative process,” Hassan said.
He said that the Local Administration Law represents a key pillar of political modernisation, adding that the government had held extensive consultations with parliamentary blocs, independent MPs, senators, relevant institutions and experts before submitting the bill.
Hassan said that the proposed law aims to empower municipalities to carry out their responsibilities while introducing mechanisms for oversight, evaluation and accountability to ensure better practices that serve citizens and enhance their participation.
The prime minister said that the 2026 amendments to the law are centered around strengthening municipal governance by clearly defining the relationship between municipal councils and executive administrations, improving financial and administrative discipline through oversight and evaluation mechanisms, and enhancing the quality and fairness of services while supporting local development.
He added that the bill gives priority to digital transformation in municipal work by expanding automation, accelerating service delivery and enhancing transparency through the publication of periodic financial, administrative and service performance reports.
Lawmakers welcomed efforts to improve municipal governance, calling for further review of provisions related to decentralisation and the powers of elected councils.
Meanwhile, others MPs raised concerns over the role of the executive director in municipalities, saying the law should clearly define the relationship between elected municipal councils and executive administrations to prevent overlapping responsibilities and ensure accountability.
They also called for reconsidering the mechanism for forming provincial councils, arguing that expanding direct public participation would better reflect the objectives of decentralisation and political modernisation.
