Article 19 of the Saudi Municipalities Law
المادة 19 من نظام البلديات والقرى
Municipal council sessions are not valid unless a majority of the members attend.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
لا تعتبر جلسات المجلس البلدي نظامية إلا بحضور الأغلبية للأعضاء.
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 19 explained in plain English
This article sets the quorum needed for municipal council sessions to be valid: a session is not valid unless a majority of the members attend.
- What does this mean? More than half of the council members must attend for the session to count as valid.
- What is the effect of a missing quorum? A session not attended by a majority is not valid, by the text of the article.
Note the difference between the quorum for convening that this article sets, and the majority for taking a decision that Article 20 sets; Article 20 provides that the council takes its decisions by a majority of the votes of the members present, with the vote of the chairman, or of the deputy in the chairman's absence, tipping the balance in a tie, and that voting is open but may be secret in some important cases. So first a majority of the members must attend, and then the decision is made by a majority of those present.
Also, the people the council invites to attend its sessions under Article 18, whose presence it finds useful, have no right to vote and are not counted among the members.
The article does not say what happens if the quorum is not reached, such as postponing the session or issuing a new invitation; the text does not deal with that.
Practical example
A municipal council in Arar has 6 members, and only 3 of them attended. Under this article the session is not valid because those present are not a majority of the members, since at least 4 must attend.
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 19 of the Saudi Municipalities Law
What is the quorum for a municipal council session?
A session is not valid unless a majority of the council members attend.
Is the attendance quorum the same as the voting majority?
No. This article requires a majority of the members to attend, while Article 20 makes the decision by a majority of the votes of the members present.
More articles on Municipal Council Meetings and Decisions
- Article 15
The municipal council meets at least once a month on an invitation that includes an agenda, a member's written request made 4 days ahead must be added to it, and the council may not discuss items not on the agenda.
يجتمع المجلس البلدي في المكان المخصص له مرة في الشهر على الأقل بناء على دعوة رئيسه أو نائبه في حال غيابه، ويجب أن تشتمل الدعوة على جدول الأعمال، وعلى الرئيس أو
- Article 16
The chairman of the municipal council may call an emergency session, and must if most members ask; it is held within two days of the request arriving and discusses only its own matters.
يجوز لرئيس المجلس البلدي دعوة المجلس لعقد جلسة طارئة كلما رأى ضرورة لذلك، وعلى الرئيس دعوة المجلس لجلسة طارئة إذا طلب منه ذلك أكثر أعضاء المجلس، وتعقد الجلسة خل
- Article 17
The chairman or any member of the municipal council must leave the session when a case relating to a private interest of theirs is discussed, and the council decides by secret ballot in their absence.
على رئيس المجلس أو أي عضو من أعضائه مغادرة الجلسة في كل مرة يبحث فيها المجلس قضية تتعلق بصورة مباشرة أو غير مباشرة بمصلحة خاصة له، وعلى المجلس أن يتخذ القرار با
- Article 18
Municipal council sessions are confidential, and the council may invite anyone whose presence it finds useful to attend, without a right to vote.
جلسات المجلس البلدي سرية، وللمجلس أن يدعو لحضور جلسات المجلس أي شخص يرى فائدة في حضوره، دون أن يكون له حق التصويت.
- Article 20
The municipal council takes decisions by a majority of those present, the chairman's or deputy's vote tips a tie, and voting is open but may be secret in important cases.
أ - يتخذ المجلس البلدي قراراته بأكثرية أصوات أعضائه الحاضرين، وفي حالة التساوي يكون صوت الرئيس أو نائبه في حال غيابه مرجحا. ب - يجرى التصويت بطريقة الاقتراع الع
- Article 21
The municipal council may form committees from some of its members to look into particular cases, with the result submitted to the council so that it takes the necessary decision.
يجوز للمجلس تشكيل لجان من بعض أعضائه للنظر في قضايا معينة، ورفع النتيجة فيها إلى المجلس لاتخاذ القرار اللازم.
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.