Article 8 of the Saudi Chambers of Commerce Law

This article sets out who makes up the general assembly of the Chamber, the first of the Chamber's organs listed in Article 7 (the general assembly, the board of directors and the general secretariat).

The rule is simple: all the Chamber's subscribers are the general assembly. A subscriber, as defined in Article 1, is anyone with a valid subscription in the Chamber. This means:

• Membership of the general assembly is not by election or appointment but arises automatically for every subscriber.
• This status is tied to the subscription being valid, because the definition of subscriber requires the subscription to be valid.
• The general assembly represents the Chamber's broad base of commercial establishments, unlike the board of directors, which has a limited number of members.

Article 9 sets out the powers of the general assembly, including electing two thirds of the board of directors' members (with the Minister able to approve electing half in cases he assesses), discussing and approving the annual report, financial position, draft estimated budget and final account, discussing subscribers' proposals, and approving the Chamber's internal regulations. Being a subscriber therefore gives an establishment a place in the organ that carries out these powers.