Local government in the Arab Union

In the Union of Arab Republics (UAR; informally known as the Arab Union) local government occupies the third and lowest tier of public administration.

The union as a whole (and thus its federal government) shares sovereignty with each of the 20 republics (federated states) of the Arab Union, each of which has its own respective government (formally known as a governorate); the governorates make up the middle tier of government, below the upper (federal) level. The Constitution of the Arab Union delineates the division of power, responsibility and areas of jurisdiction between the federal government and the governorates. For example, the nation's single-payer universal healthcare system is administered entirely by the federal government, while the great majority of law enforcement and administration of justice comes under the jurisdiction of each republic.

As virtually no reference is made to governance or public administration at the local level, the Local Government Act, 2004 functions as the primary legislation enabling local government and outlining its areas of responsibility and authority (mandatory and optional) as distinct from the upper two levels of administration. The information below is an overview of the provisions laid out in the 2004 act.

Incorporation and structure

 * 1) Each local government authority is formally referred to as a local council (Arabic: مجلس محلي majlis maḥallī), in common parlance simply a council (مجلس majlis).
 * 2) Each council is responsible for a defined geographic territory formally known as a council area (بلد المجلس balad al-majlis), but commonly called a municipality (بلدية baladiyah).
 * 3) Incorporation of a council area requires the defined territory: have a minimum permanent population of 100, which resides (and optionally does business) in properly constructed (licensed and to-code), permanent dwellings; be separate and distinct physically, culturally or economically from adjacent council areas (real or candidate); be connected to the power grid, telephone network, public water main (including safe drinking input and septic output), a state road (directly or via clear, fully paved routes through adjacent council areas) and natural gas main; immediately be capable of forming a local fire, rescue and emergency first response brigade, unless officially contracting services from an adjacent council area; and have a minimum nine-member provisional council (with internally elected chairperson) to act as agent of incorporation.
 * 4) To incorporate a council area, the provisional council informs the governorate's Ministry of Local Government, which appoints an official Advisor to guide the incorporation process, who is assisted by a legal team, surveyor, topographer and clerk; after the Advisor and assistants inspect the locale, complete relevant measurements and confirm eligibility, the Advisor guides the provisional council through the process of drafting the charter of incorporation, which identifies and formalises aspects unique to the candidate council area (mainly physical data such as precise extent, elevation, natural resources, existing flora and fauna, land character and quality, etc.) and proclaims the incorporation of a responsible local council;
 * 5) The final draft is printed on a special, copy-proof, holographic carbon paper (which creates two copies) at the district court, and a session of the civil court is heard wherein the printed charter of incorporation is signed by the provisional council chairperson, an additional provisional council member as witness, the appointed Advisor and the courtroom clerk; the presiding justice declares the incorporation final and dismisses court, upon which incorporation is complete;
 * 6) The signed charter original is kept by the newly incorporated local council, and is typically preserved via lamination and stores securely in a safe or vault; of the two copies produced, one is framed and displayed inside the council office or meeting place, the other delivered to the Minister of Local Government and archived.
 * 7) Within thirteen months of incorporation, the provisional council is required to hold an election, which must be publicly advertised no later than one month in advance and each day thereafter up to the day of election; all citizens of the Arab Union, as well as permanent residents and holders of a valid student or work visa or certificate of asylum, who, on the date of election, are a minimum of 18 years of age and maintain a legal address of residence within the council area, are eligible to vote in the council election; candidates run for a specific council seat, the candidate with the most votes by end of election day winning the seat.
 * 8) Local elections are typically held every two years, though some council areas' charters of incorporation stipulate slightly less frequent elections (three to six years).
 * 9) A local council consists of between 9 and 100 seats, with each seat representing a specific council district, each ideally similar in population; the charter of incorporation sets out the process by which council district boundaries are drawn (reflecting population distribution), and by which number of districts is changed (reflecting population growth or decline).
 * 10) The chairperson of an incumbent council must dissolve the council within 30 days of a local election, and the new council must meet for its first plenary session within 10 days of said dissolution; at the first plenary session, the new council initially elects from amongst itself a chairperson, who proceeds to chair the session and chairs all thereafter.
 * 11) The council chairperson is to nominate a council manager within 30 days of the first plenary session; a nominee must be approved by a majority of the rest of council to be appointed.
 * 12) The search for a candidate for council manager nomination is typically conducted via the professional recruitment process, conducted by the council's own HR department, one of few executive organs to remain under the control of council chair once a manager is hired; the ideal council manager is a professional with a background in city planning, civil engineering, public administration or similar, and must not be a council member.
 * 13) A council manager is responsible for overseeing the executive functions of local government, all heads of local administration and municipal services reporting to him, allowing the council chair to focus on leading the council in overall policy development; while expected to lead day-to-day executive affairs and make most routine decisions on behalf of the council, the council manager consults regularly with the council chair, to whom he answers, to ensure proper implementation of council policy, and may observe council meetings on occasion.