The governorates are under a microscope, a parliamentary move to freeze the governorates' councils and budgets and open up the performance and corruption file

In a move that may redraw the relationship between Parliament and the provincial councils, a number of deputies have submitted an official request to Council of Representatives chairman Hibat al-Halbosi, to include a proposal to freeze the work of the provincial councils and their budgets for the current session on the agenda of the next session, in advance of a vote on it.

The request was based, according to the document, on the provisions of the Unregulated Provincial Law in Region No. 21 of 2008 as amended, in particular the provisions granting Council of Representatives the authority to deal with cases of gross misconduct or violation of the constitution and laws, as well as subjecting the provincial councils to parliamentary oversight.

The move comes amid continuing criticism of the performance of the provincial councils, amid accusations of inefficiency and declining supervisory and service roles, criticisms that had already prompted parliament to end its work in 2019 during a wave of widespread popular protests that raised slogans against corruption, bribery and waste of public funds.

With provincial councils returning to the political scene, Parliament seems to want to put their performance under the microscope again, especially as these councils play key roles in electing local governments, approving service budgets, and monitoring the performance of executive institutions.

Ironically, the councils that were supposed to be the citizen's eye on local governments, today face the same parliamentary censorship and questions about how committed they are to the functions they were elected to.