Article 15 of the Saudi Chambers of Commerce Law
المادة 15 من نظام الغرف التجارية · الفصل الثاني: الأجهزة الإدارية للغرفة
The fifteenth article provides that the first deputy takes the Chamber president's place with full powers when he is absent or loses membership, then the second deputy when both are absent or lose membership.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
يقوم النائب الأول لرئيس الغرفة مقام الرئيس، وتكون له جميع صلاحياته ويمارس جميع مهماته عند غيابه أو فقده عضوية مجلس إدارة الغرفة وفقًا للمادة (السابعة عشرة) من النظام، وفي حال غياب رئيس الغرفة ونائبه الأول أو فقدهما العضوية، يحل النائب الثاني محل رئيس الغرفة.
This is the official Arabic wording, the only legally binding version. We do not translate the law itself; the explanation below is ours. Official source: Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers
Article 15 explained in plain English
This article ensures continuity of the Chamber's leadership without a vacuum if its president is absent or loses his membership, in a clear order:
- The first deputy: Takes the place of the Chamber's president, and has all his powers and carries out all his tasks, in two cases:
- the president's absence;
- the president losing membership of the board of directors under Article 17.
- The second deputy: Takes the place of the Chamber's president if the president and the first deputy are both absent or lose membership.
This means the substitution is not partial: the deputy who takes the president's place exercises his powers in full. The Chamber's president, as defined in Article 1, is the chair of the Chamber's board of directors.
Who is the first deputy and who is the second deputy is determined under Article 14, as the board of directors elects, at its first meeting, its chair and its first and second deputies from among its members, by secret ballot for each separately, and by an absolute majority of the votes of those present.
As for the cases of loss of membership, the article refers to Article 17 of the law. This article also connects to Article 16, which sets the conditions that must be met by an appointed member or a candidate for the board of directors.
Practical example
The president of one chamber traveled on a long mission, and the board had to take urgent action. The first deputy carries out the president's tasks with all his powers during his absence. If the first deputy were also absent, the second deputy would take the president's place.
Translated from our Arabic explanation with machine assistance. For guidance only; it does not replace advice from a lawyer on your situation.
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Frequently asked questions about Article 15 of the Saudi Chambers of Commerce Law
Who acts for the chamber of commerce president when he is absent?
The first deputy takes his place with all his powers, and if the president and the first deputy are absent or lose membership the second deputy takes the president's place.
Does the chamber president's deputy have all of his powers in his absence?
Yes. The first deputy has all the president's powers and carries out all his tasks when he is absent or loses membership.
Articles this article refers to
More articles on Conditions for Chamber Board Membership
- Article 12
The twelfth article refers board election procedures to the Implementing Regulations, bars electing more than one member from a single establishment, removes any financial pay for a member, and limits candidacy to two consecutive terms.
1- تُحدد اللائحة إجراءات الترشح والانتخاب بما في ذلك ضوابط الانتخاب الفردي وانتخاب المجموعات، وإجراءات الاقتراع والاعتراض والطعن، وتشكيل لجان الإشراف على الانتخ
- Article 16
The sixteenth article sets six conditions that an appointed member or a candidate for the Chamber's board must meet, including experience, a valid commercial register, good conduct and not holding membership of two chambers.
يُشترط في العضو المعين أو المترشح لمجلس إدارة الغرفة أن تتوافر فيه الشروط الآتية: 1- أن تكون لديه خبرة لا تقل عن (عشر) سنوات، ولا تقل عن (خمس) سنوات إذا كان حاص
- Article 17
The seventeenth article sets the cases of losing membership of the Chamber's board: death, resignation, repeated absence, incapacity and losing membership conditions, with an 8-year bar on standing in one case.
يفقد العضو عضويته في مجلس إدارة الغرفة في الحالات الآتية: 1- الوفاة. 2- الاستقالة، ويعد في حكم المستقيل كل من تغيب -خلال فترة عضويته- عن حضور ثلاثة اجتماعات متت
- Article 18
The eighteenth article regulates filling a vacated seat on the Chamber's board by appointing the highest-polling candidate among those who did not win, or by the Minister appointing a replacement.
إذا خلا محل عضو منتخب في مجلس إدارة الغرفة لأي من الأسباب المنصوص عليها في المادة (السابعة عشرة) من النظام، يعين بقرار من الوزير المترشح الحائز على أكثر الأصوات
The texts are reproduced from the official website of the Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers for reference; where they differ, the officially published Arabic text prevails. This content is not legal advice.