The lawmakers agreed to add new competencies to the Independent Election Commission, including dealing with applications to set up political parties, instead of the Ministry of Political and Parliamentary Affairs, after paragraph 2 of Article 67 of the Constitution was amended, and its text became: “An independent commission shall be established by law entrusting it with the administration of parliamentary, municipal and any general elections in accordance with the provisions of the law, and that the Council of Ministers may assign the Independent Election Commission to administer or supervise any other elections at the request of the legally authorized party to conduct those elections, and to consider requests to establish political parties and follow up on their affairs according to the provisions of the law.”
The legislature also approved amended Article 69, which sets the Lower House speakership’s term at one solar year, instead of two, and grants MPs the right to depose their Speaker upon a decision by two thirds of members, address cases when the position of Speaker of the House falls vacant, whether by resignation, death, dismissal or any other reason. In such case, the Deputy Speaker will take over the speakership until a new speaker is elected within a period of two weeks from the date of the vacancy. If the House is not in session, it will be summoned into extraordinary session to elect a speaker to complete the term of the speakership, and the Speaker’s resignation is considered valid from the date of its submission to the General Secretariat of the House.
Dughmi came in favour of the amendment to Article 69, calling it “important and progressive,” and urging deputies to vote for it as it gives the House members the right to vote by a two-thirds majority to unseat the Speaker.
Source: Jordan News Agency