Amman: Jaafar Hassan’s government secured the confidence of lawmakers, on Wednesday, in a session chaired by Lower House Speaker Ahmed Safadi. Out of the 138 members of the House, 135 MPs attended the voting session. The motion passed after 82 voted in favour, 52 against, and two abstentions.
According to Jordan News Agency, the vote followed three days of discussions, in which MPs reviewed the ministerial statement presented by the government based on which Prime Minister Hassan requested confidence last Sunday. The discussions began on Monday, with two sessions each day, and 129 lawmakers spoke during the confidence debates.
As per Article 53 of the Constitution, the government needed the votes of an absolute majority of the House of Representatives, which amounts to at least 70 votes. The House’s internal regulations stipulate that during confidence votes, MPs respond with one of three options: confidence, withholding, or abstention.
Furthermore, Article 81 of the internal regulations of the House state
s that votes are cast by calling the names of members, who respond verbally. In the scenario concerning confidence in the government or its ministers, the response options are confidence, withholding, or abstention.