"According to the draft amendment, the number of municipal council members is to increase from its present number of 16 to 31 provided 20 of them are elected while the remaining 11 would be appointed by means of Amiri decrees," the head of the legal and finance municipal committee Khaled Al-Khaled said.
He added that several draft amendments were put forward. But the one which was approved by the committee was that calling for five constituencies with an increase in the number of municipal council members.
He stressed that the increased number was the best way to deal with lack of quorum in the meetings of municipal subcommittees and one of the best way to implement democratic principles.
Some council members opposed the draft amendment arguing that the single constituency was better than five since it gave voters more freedom to choose the right candidate for the job without being restricted by electoral boundaries.
The opponents of the draft called for submitting the amendment to the Fatwa and Endowment Authority to decide whether or not the text of the amendments contained "constitutional flaws." The council also approved other amendments related to articles 26, 27, 33 and 34. As for an amendment related to article 14, it was decided to submit it to the legal committee for change.
The amendment to article 14 relates to the wording of the amendment and the 90-day delay given to Cabinet to approve or disapprove municipal council resolutions.
Under article 14, the municipal council is entitled to face up to any rejection of resolutions by the Minister in charge of municipal affairs by submitting the resolutions to cabinet for the last word on them.
The municipal council also discussed the findings of a special team appointed to revise agricultural laws in areas of private residence. The draft resolutions were approved except those under article 14, specifically those related to the size of backyards allowed under article 14.
Under the proposed article 14 amendment, the size of backyards in private homes should not exceed 15 square meters. But the proposed amendment was rejected in favor of one paving the way for backyard size to be not more than 25 square meters.
