By Khaled Neimat, Jordan Times

AMMAN – The government on Saturday said it has received 40 applications from communities seeking to form independent municipalities.

Other applications, still in the hands of governors, are expected to be turned over to the government soon, Minister of Municipal Affairs Mahir Abul Samin said yesterday, two days after the deadline passed for submitting them.

According to the minister, the government will then verify the applications and decide whether to grant the applicants new municipalities based on Article 5 of the Municipalities Law, which allows the emergence of new municipalities in communities where the population exceeds 5,000, provided that half of the community members agree to the move and their area was an independent municipality prior to the municipal mergers that took place in 2001.

The previous government had solicited applications for new municipalities earlier this year, igniting widespread protests in communities that were not granted independent status. As the government capitulated to protesters’ demands, the number of municipalities rose to over 200 before the current government overturned the decisions made by its predecessor and began the application process anew.

http://jordantimes.com/?news=43704
read more here

Note by the editor: It may be interesting to note that in Switzerland there is an opposite trend: In order to slash bureaucratic costs municipalities merge. In the Canton of Glarus about 18 municipalities merged into only three! But I suppose every one has to make their own experiences…