Novelty in legal regulation to form Governorate Councils under Jordanian local administration law No. 22 of 2021

Abstract

The endorsement of the local administration law gave hope for reform in the local administration system in Governorates as well as to bridge the gaps found in legal regulation of Governorate councils under decentralization law. It is not feasible to acknowledge any reform in the local administration system unless it is based mainly on enhancing participation of citizens in local development as it is considered the objective of the system and its source of effectiveness. Therefore, this study addresses the novelty in legal regulation to form Governorate Councils under Jordanian local administration law. It concludes that even though the law includes some provisions that ensure the capability and effectiveness of the Governorate Councils’ organizational structure and the increase of women participation in local development, it unpredictably declined   to adopt democratic goals in forming these councils. The law hasreduced the number of direct elect candidates and has widened the centralized government’s authority in appointing candidateswhich in turn is an additional challenge in its independence. This law appears has revealed that the democratic process the legislator adopts under the decentralization law was the main reason behind the incapability of making these Governorate councils a local administration capable of bridging the development gap between Governorates.The study recommended the Jordanian legislator that the local administration law should be amended so that the provincial councils are composed entirely of elected members, provided that a number of seats are allocated to the industrial, commercial and agricultural sectors. With the possibility of granting the central authority the appointment of no more than two additional members.