In force Last amended 20/4/1440 AH
Saudi Council of Ministers Law
نظام مجلس الوزراء
Governs the Council of Ministers, including its seat, membership conditions, oath, restrictions on members, meetings and decisions, trial of members, committees, jurisdiction and the Council's administrative organization.
- Articles
- 32
- In force
- 32
- Amended
- 1
- Issued
- 3/3/1414 AH
Issued by: أمر ملكي رقم أ/13 بتاريخ 3 / 3 / 1414
Each article shows the official Arabic text, which is the only legally binding version, followed by our plain-English explanation.
Browse Council of Ministers Law by topic
Formation and Term of the Council of Ministers5 articlesConditions and Duties of Council Membership5 articlesMinister's Powers and Deputizing4 articlesCouncil of Ministers Sessions and Voting6 articlesRegulatory Powers of the Council of Ministers5 articlesExecutive Powers of the Council of Ministers3 articlesThe General Budget and Loans4 articlesCouncil of Ministers Bodies and Internal Rules3 articles
Articles of the Saudi Council of Ministers Law
- Article 1Article 1 states that the Council of Ministers is a statutory body presided over by the King.
- Article 2Article 2 sets the city of Riyadh as the seat of the Council of Ministers and allows its sessions to be held elsewhere in the Kingdom.
- Article 3Article 3 requires a Council member to be Saudi by origin and birth, known for righteousness and competence, and not sentenced for a crime involving breach of religion or honor.
- Article 4Article 4 bars Council members from starting work before taking a set oath of loyalty to the religion, the King and the country, and of keeping State secrets.
- Article 5Article 5 bars combining membership of the Council of Ministers with any other government post unless the Prime Minister considers necessity requires it.
- Article 6Article 6 bars a Council member, during membership, from buying or leasing State property, from selling or leasing his own property to the Government, and from commercial or financial activity or company board membership.
- Article 7Article 7 provides that Council of Ministers meetings are held under the presidency of the King or a Deputy Prime Minister, and that its decisions become final once the King approves them.
- Article 8Article 8 provides that members of the Council of Ministers are appointed, relieved and have their resignations accepted by royal order, and that their responsibilities are set under Articles 57 and 58 of the Basic Law of Governance.
- Article 9Article 9 sets the Council of Ministers' term at no more than four years, during which it is reconstituted by royal order, and it continues its work if the term ends before reconstitution.
- Article 10Article 10 makes the minister the direct head and final authority for the affairs of his ministry, exercising his work under this Law and other laws and regulations.
- Article 11Article 11 limits deputizing for a minister in the Council of Ministers to another minister by order of the Prime Minister, and has the deputy minister exercise the minister's powers in his absence.
- Article 12Article 12 states that the Council of Ministers consists of its head, his deputies, the working ministers, ministers of state and advisers to the King appointed as members by royal order.
- Article 13Article 13 limits attendance at Council of Ministers meetings to its members and Secretary General, allows an official or expert to attend with the Prime Minister's approval to give information, and keeps voting to members only.
- Article 14Article 14 requires two thirds of the members present for a valid Council of Ministers meeting and decisions by a majority of those present with the head's vote deciding ties, and sets a different quorum for exceptional cases.
- Article 15Article 15 bars the Council of Ministers from deciding a matter concerning a ministry's work except in the presence of its minister or his deputy, unless necessity requires otherwise.
- Article 16Article 16 makes the Council of Ministers' deliberations secret, with its decisions public as a rule except those the Council treats as secret by its own decision.
- Article 17Article 17 provides that Council members are tried for violations in their official work under a special law that sets out the violations, the procedures for accusation and trial, and how the court panel is formed.
- Article 18Article 18 allows the Council of Ministers to form committees from its members or others to examine a matter on its agenda and give a special report on it, with the internal rules setting the number of committees and how they work.
- Article 19Article 19 states that the Council of Ministers draws up State policy in all fields and oversees its implementation, considers Shura Council resolutions, and holds executive authority and financial and administrative authority over government bodies.
- Article 20Article 20 states that laws, treaties, international agreements and concessions are issued and amended by royal decrees after being studied by the Council of Ministers, subject to the Shura Council Law.
- Article 21Article 21 provides that the Council of Ministers studies draft laws and regulations and votes on them article by article and then as a whole, under the procedures in its internal rules.
- Article 22Article 22 gives every minister the right to propose a draft law or regulation concerning his ministry's work, and lets every member propose what he sees as worth discussing in the Council with the Prime Minister's approval.
- Article 23Article 23 requires all decrees to be published in the Official Gazette and makes them effective from the date of publication unless another date is specified.
- Article 24Article 24 gives the Council of Ministers, as the direct executive authority, full control over execution and administration, and lists among its powers overseeing implementation of laws, establishing public departments, following the development plan and forming inquiry committees.
- Article 25Article 25 bars the Government from contracting any loan except after the approval of the Council of Ministers and the issuance of a royal decree.
- Article 26Article 26 provides that the Council of Ministers studies the State budget and votes on it chapter by chapter, and that it is issued by royal decree.
- Article 27Article 27 provides that any increase to be made to the budget may be made only by royal decree.
- Article 28Article 28 requires the Minister of Finance and National Economy to submit the State's final account for the past fiscal year to the Prime Minister for referral to the Council for approval.
- Article 29Article 29 makes the King, as Prime Minister, the director of general policy and supervisor of the Council and government bodies, and requires government bodies to submit an annual report on their achievements within ninety days of the start of each fiscal year.
- Article 30Article 30 refers to the Council of Ministers' internal rules to set out its administrative formations, their powers and how they carry out their work.Amended A/141
- Article 31Article 31 provides that the Council of Ministers' internal rules are issued by royal order.
- Article 32Article 32 provides that the Law of the Council of Ministers may be amended only in the way in which it was issued.