Article 13 of the Saudi Council of Ministers Law
المادة 13 من نظام مجلس الوزراء
Article 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.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
حضور اجتماعات مجلس الوزراء حق خاص بأعضائه فقط وبالأمين العام لمجلس الوزراء ، ويجوز بناء على طلب الرئيس أو أحد الأعضاء بعد موافقة رئيس مجلس الوزراء السماح لأحد المسئولين أو الخبراء بحضور جلسات المجلس لتقديم ما لديه من معلومات وإيضاحات على أن يكون حق التصويت خاصا بالأعضاء فقط.
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 13 explained in plain English
This article regulates who attends Council of Ministers meetings and who votes in them:
The rule: attending meetings is a right reserved to two categories only:
- Members of the Council of Ministers.
- The Secretary General of the Council of Ministers.
The exception: an official or expert may be allowed to attend sessions, on three conditions stated in the text:
- It must be at the request of the head or one of the members.
- The Prime Minister must approve.
- The purpose must be to provide the information and clarifications he has.
Voting: a right reserved to members only. By the text, the Secretary General and an official or expert who is allowed to attend do not vote.
This article is linked to the preceding Article 12, which defines who the members are: the head of the Council, his deputies, the working ministers, and ministers of state and advisers to the King appointed as members by royal order. It is also linked to the following Article 14, which makes the validity of a meeting depend on the presence of two thirds of the members, and makes a decision pass by a majority of those present; the attendance of non-members counts neither toward this quorum nor toward voting, because the right to vote is reserved to members.
Practical example
The Council of Ministers needed technical clarifications about an infrastructure project, so one of the ministers asked for a specialist expert to attend. After the Prime Minister's approval, the expert attended and gave the information, but did not take part in the vote because voting is reserved to members under Article 13.
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 13 of the Saudi Council of Ministers Law
Who has the right to attend Council of Ministers meetings?
The Council's members and the Secretary General of the Council of Ministers; an official or expert may be allowed to attend on the conditions in Article 13.
Does an expert who attends a Council of Ministers session vote?
No, the right to vote is reserved to members only.
Who approves an official or expert attending a Council session?
The Prime Minister, at the request of the head or one of the members.
More articles on Council of Ministers Sessions and Voting
- Article 7
Article 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.
تعقد اجتماعات مجلس الوزراء برئاسة الملك رئيس المجلس أو أحد نواب الرئيس وتصبح قراراته نهائية بعد موافقة الملك عليها.
- Article 14
Article 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.
لا يعتبر اجتماع مجلس الوزراء صحيحا إلا بحضور ثلثي أعضائه ولا تكون قراراته نظامية إلا بعد صدورها بأغلبية الحاضرين وفي حالة التساوي يعتبر صوت الرئيس مرجحا، وفي ال
- Article 15
Article 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.
لا يتخذ مجلس الوزراء قرارا في موضوع خاص بأعمال وزارة من الوزارات إلا بحضور وزيرها أو من ينوب عنه ما لم تدع الضرورة لذلك.
- Article 16
Article 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.
مداولات المجلس سرية أما قراراته فالأصل فيها العلنية عدا ما اعتبر منها سريا بقرار من المجلس.
- Article 18
Article 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.
يجوز لمجلس الوزراء أن يؤلف لجانا من بين أعضائه أو من غيرهم لبحث مسألة مدرجة بجدول أعماله لتقديم تقرير خاص عنها ويتولى النظام الداخلي للمجلس بيان عدد اللجان وسير
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.