National Dialogue discusses Popular Councils Act within Political Framework

CAIRO – 20 June 2023: On June 18, the National Dialogue began a series of sessions discussing the Local Administration Law and continuing the review of the Local People's Councils Law, within the Political Axis of the dialogue.The meetings, conducted under the Local Affairs Committee, have ignited a lively debate on this crucial subject.

Participants expressed enthusiasm for establishing workshops for specialists in this committee to transition into a phase of crafting specific operational outputs. Some participants emphasized the need for a new law for local councils, stressing the necessity of autonomy of Local People's Councils from executive authority. They shared the belief that moving towards administrative decentralization will eliminate bureaucracy, enhance public service management, and provide flexibility in daily decision-making, while some stressed the necessity to adopt graduality in applying decentralization.

Additionally, some participants pointed out that the 2014 constitution represents a significant democratic, civilizational, and developmental leap if we can implement its provisions in local administration. They suggested conducting budgeting at each village level, an idea currently under review.

Training and pre-qualification for members of local centers and the executive apparatus was another topic of discussion. Attendees underscored the importance of local people's councils in eradicating corruption in all its forms, and proposed the establishment of a specialized training institution.

Some participants also suggested increasing the number of local councils, advocating for a system that combines fixed numbers of councils at various levels and population weightage, to ensure fair population and electoral representation. This proposal aligns with the constitution's Article 180 and is currently under review.

The necessity of a defined representation of people with disabilities in local councils was also highlighted, with reference made to the National Council for Persons with Disabilities to determine these quotas.

Moreover, a group of participants noted the need to revise some laws concerning the appointment of district and city heads, noting that contractual appointments do not endow individuals with full job authority. The need for youth participation in local people's councils was also stressed, emphasizing their crucial role in future development.

Some participants have recommended that we need sustainable development and administrative decentralization, while some others shed light on the necessity of defining the budget of local councils and providing them with fixed resources.

Participants also proposed that local councils should have the ability to engage in community planning from bottom to top, and that the accountability and monitoring tools of local control agencies have to be activated for these agencies to play an effective role. This is in addition to highlighting the necessity of setting standards for selecting the members of the Local People's Councils, in terms of their education, proficiency, experience, and proficiency in a foreign language; and the need for a law that stipulates that the Local People's Councils cannot be dissolved by a comprehensive administrative procedure.

Meanwhile, some participants focused on the need to activate the Supreme Council of Governors, and the economic division of each governorate, others called for resolving conflicts between ministries and bodies, and a third group underlined the need to pay attention to the local administration law and the necessity to establish elected local councils.

Raising the age of youth from 35 to 40 was also discussed, which should be subject to the provisions of the constitution.

Regarding directing interpellations against the governor and his deputies, participants suggested that the text should specify a suitable number not less than one-fourth of the members of the local council at the governorate level, and about half of the council members at the lower local levels against the heads of the local units. Three-quarters of the council majority should be required to agree to withdraw confidence after discussing the interpellations.

On training and education, participants put forward the idea of a specialized institution for training on local administration issues, which should be available to candidates wishing to run in local elections or participate in local administration for a set fee. It was highlighted that training should be provided by the state, not by parties, as it is essential for citizens to make their own decisions, and to keep their right to elect who best manages their life affairs.

Lastly, the requirement of not rushing the issuance of the local administration law was debated, based on the fact that the science of administration needs planning, organization, implementation, control, and follow-up. Also, it was emphasized that the primary goal of local administration is the stability of local governance and popular participation. And the new goal is to control the population increase in Egypt.