Article 20 of the Saudi Chambers of Commerce Law
المادة 20 من نظام الغرف التجارية · الفصل الثاني: الأجهزة الإدارية للغرفة
Article 20 gives the chamber's president responsibility for following up on strategic matters and for calling and chairing General Assembly and board meetings, and leaves his or her other powers to the Implementing Regulations.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
يختص رئيس الغرفة بصفة خاصة بمتابعة مهمات الغرفة ذات الطابع الاستراتيجي، والدعوة إلى اجتماعات الجمعية العمومية للغرفة ومجلس الإدارة، ورئاسة هذه الاجتماعات وإدارتها. وتحدد اللائحة اختصاصات رئيس الغرفة وصلاحياته.
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 20 explained in plain English
This article describes the role of the chamber's president, who, under the definition in Article 1, is the chairman of the chamber's board of directors. He or she is specifically responsible for the following:
- Following up on the chamber's strategic matters.
- Calling meetings: meetings of the General Assembly and meetings of the board of directors.
- Chairing and running these meetings.
As for the president's other responsibilities and powers, these are set by the Implementing Regulations, and the article does not detail them.
This article complements Article 19, which sets out the powers of the board as a whole, such as approving general policies, reviewing draft internal regulations, appointing the Secretary General and forming committees. The board is the collective decision-maker, while the president handles strategic follow-up and the organization and running of meetings.
It is also linked to Article 21, which details how the president calls the board: the board meets at the chamber's headquarters at least once every 60 days at the call of its president, which includes the agenda; the president may call an emergency meeting whenever he or she sees the need, and must call one if one third of the board members request it in writing, within 15 days of receiving the request, failing which the Federation of Chambers may issue the call under the procedures of the Implementing Regulations.
Practical example
Members of a chamber's board want to discuss a plan to support exporters in the region. The chamber's president calls the board meeting, chairs it and runs the discussion, while the board takes the decision on the plan.
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 20 of the Saudi Chambers of Commerce Law
What are the powers of the president of a chamber of commerce?
The president follows up on strategic matters and calls, chairs and runs the meetings of the General Assembly and the board of directors. The Implementing Regulations set his or her other powers.
Who calls the chamber's General Assembly to meet?
The chamber's president calls the meetings of the General Assembly and the board of directors and chairs them.
More articles on Chamber Board Powers and Meetings
- Article 15
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.
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 ا
- Article 19
Article 19 lists the powers of the chamber's board of directors, including approving policies, reviewing regulations, acting on the chamber's behalf, appointing the Secretary General, and forming committees.
يختص مجلس إدارة الغرفة بما يأتي: 1- إقرار السياسات العامة للغرفة والخطط والبرامج والمشروعات اللازمة لأداء مهماتها. 2- دراسة مشروعات لوائح الغرفة الداخلية، بما ف
- Article 21
Article 21 requires the chamber's board to meet at least once every 60 days, and governs emergency meetings called by the president or requested by one third of the members.
1- يجتمع مجلس إدارة الغرفة في مقرها مرة كل (ستين) يوماً على الأقل بدعوة من رئيسه، ويجب أن تشتمل الدعوة على جدول أعمال الاجتماع. 2- لرئيس الغرفة دعوة مجلس الإدار
- Article 22
Article 22 sets the quorum for a chamber board meeting and allows it to be postponed twice if the quorum is not reached, with a Ministry representative attending the third meeting.
تكون اجتماعات مجلس إدارة الغرفة صحيحة بحضور أكثر من نصف عدد أعضائه، على أن يكون من بينهم رئيس الغرفة أو أحد نائبيه. فإن لم يكتمل النصاب، يؤجل الاجتماع -بقرار من
- Article 23
Article 23 governs the confidentiality of chamber board discussions, decisions by majority of those present, open voting, inviting non-members, and electronic meetings and circulation.
1- تكون المناقشات في اجتماعات مجلس إدارة الغرفة سرية. 2- تصدر قرارات مجلس إدارة الغرفة بأغلبية عدد أصوات الأعضاء الحاضرين، فإن تساوت الأصوات يرجح الجانب الذي صو
- Article 24
Article 24 requires the chamber's president, deputies, members and Secretary General to notify the board of any interest in the chamber's contracts, and bars them from attending the deliberations and voting on them.
إذا كان لرئيس الغرفة أو أحد نائبيه أو أحد أعضاء المجلس أو الأمين العام للغرفة مصلحة مباشرة أو غير مباشرة في العقود أو الاتفاقيات التي تبرمها الغرفة، فيتعين عليه
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.