Article 22 of the Saudi Chambers of Commerce Law
المادة 22 من نظام الغرف التجارية · الفصل الثاني: الأجهزة الإدارية للغرفة
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.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
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 رئيس الغرفة أو أحد نائبيه بحسب الحال- لمدة لا تقل عن (خمسة) أيام ولا تزيد على (عشرة) أيام، ويكون الاجتماع في هذه الحالة صحيحًا إذا حضره ما لا يقل عن ثلث الأعضاء، على أن يكون من بينهم رئيس الغرفة أو أحد نائبيه. وفي حال عدم اكتمال النصاب للمرة الثانية، يؤجل الاجتماع -بحسب الإجراء المشار إليه بالنسبة للتأجيل الأول- لمدة لا تقل عن (خمسة) أيام ولا تزيد على (عشرة) أيام، ويكون الاجتماع في هذه الحالة صحيحًا بمن حضر، على أن يكون من بينهم رئيس الغرفة أو أحد نائبيه. ويحضر هذا الاجتماع مندوب من الوزارة، وفي حال عدم انعقاد الاجتماع؛ يُضَمِّنُ مندوب الوزارة ذلك في تقريره، وتتخذ الوزارة ما تراه مناسباً.
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 22 explained in plain English
This article answers the question: when is a chamber board meeting valid? It sets out three stages, and in each one the chamber's president or one of his two deputies must be present:
- First meeting: valid if more than half of the members are present.
- If the quorum is not reached: the meeting is postponed by a decision of the chamber's president or one of his deputies, as the case may be, for a period of not less than 5 days and not more than 10 days. The postponed meeting is valid if at least one third of the members are present.
- If the quorum is not reached a second time: the meeting is postponed in the same way for a period of not less than 5 days and not more than 10 days, and the meeting is then valid with whoever attends.
The Ministry's role in the last meeting: a representative of the Ministry attends this meeting. If the meeting is not held, the representative records this in his or her report, and the Ministry takes whatever action it sees fit. The article does not specify what this action is.
The purpose of this graduated approach is to prevent the chamber's work from being obstructed by members' absence, while keeping the requirement that the president or one of his deputies be present at every stage.
The article is linked to Article 21, which requires the board to meet at least once every 60 days and governs emergency meetings, and to Article 23, which makes discussions confidential and decisions issued by a majority of the votes of those present, with the side the meeting's chair voted with prevailing in a tie.
Practical example
A chamber board of 15 members is called to a meeting and only 7 attend, so the quorum (more than half, that is 8) is not reached. The president postpones the meeting for 7 days, and 4 members attend, which is less than a third (5). It is postponed a second time, and at the third meeting it is valid with whoever attends, provided the president or one of his deputies is present, and a Ministry representative attends.
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 22 of the Saudi Chambers of Commerce Law
What is the legal quorum for a chamber of commerce board meeting?
The meeting is valid with more than half of the members present, including the chamber's president or one of his two deputies.
What happens if a chamber board meeting does not reach a quorum?
It is postponed for 5 to 10 days and is then valid with one third present. If the quorum is still not reached, it is postponed again and is valid with whoever attends, provided the president or one of his deputies is present.
Does a Ministry representative attend chamber meetings?
A Ministry representative attends the meeting held after the second postponement. If it is not held, the representative records this in his or her report and the Ministry takes whatever action it sees fit.
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 20
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.
يختص رئيس الغرفة بصفة خاصة بمتابعة مهمات الغرفة ذات الطابع الاستراتيجي، والدعوة إلى اجتماعات الجمعية العمومية للغرفة ومجلس الإدارة، ورئاسة هذه الاجتماعات وإدارت
- 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 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.