Amman, August 18 (Petra) - Lawmakers approved 23 additional articles of the draft 2026 Local Administration Law on Tuesday, bringing the total passed to 35 out of 70.

The session saw MPs approve Articles 13 through 35. Parliament had passed the first 12 articles on Monday.

Minister of Political and Parliamentary Affairs Abdulmoneim Oudat clarified that the proposed legislation introduces no new taxes or fees, explaining that it seeks to streamline existing municipal governance frameworks while maintaining fiscal continuity.

He said that municipalities rely on local service revenues to operate, and that updating the regulatory framework "will help sustain public service delivery across all governorates."

Under Article 13, municipalities and their investment ventures will receive the same tax exemptions, incentives, and privileges granted to government ministries under the Investment Environment Law, along with rights to state property allocations.

Article 14 establishes a three-tier municipal classification system based on population size and administrative status, categorizing governorate centers and areas exceeding 200,000 residents as Category 1, district centers and populations between 50,000 and 200,000 as Category 2, and all remaining municipalities as Category 3.

Article 15 empowers the Cabinet to expand, contract, or merge municipal boundaries based on recommendations from the Ministry of Local Administration and local administrative governors, provided a feasibility study confirms the municipality's capacity to deliver services.

Minister of Local Administration Waleed Masri said that boundary modifications require input from local governors to account for demographic, financial, and social dynamics.

He added that central government oversight focuses strictly on the legality of municipal decisions rather than direct management, noting that the government recently cleared JD300 million to JD400 million in municipal debts to support local communities.

//Petra// HA

18/08/2026 18:50:55