Lower House’s Legal Committee endorses draft amendments to Constitution

AMMAN — The Lower House Legal Committee on Sunday endorsed the draft amendments of 2021 to the Constitution.

Head of the committee MP Abdulmunim Oddat in a press conference following the meeting referred to the major amendments added by the panel to the draft, such as His Majesty’s call for the National Security and Foreign Policy Council to convene when necessary, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

He also added that item three of amendments proposed by the government, which says that His Majesty is the head of the council, is not needed, especially that the King is the head of state and head of the executive authority.

The committee also scrapped a paragraph related to assigning two members of the council and included it in item 28 of the draft, where this item is concerned with His Majesty's authorities to assign the supreme judge, head of the sharia council, grand mufti, Royal Court chief, minister of Royal Court and advisers to the King.

The committee approved other constitutional amendments, the top of which include electing the Lower House speaker for one year instead of two, allowing House members to exempt the speaker from his duties in case of inability to conduct his duties, the right of 25 per cent of Chamber members to the vote of confidence instead of 10 members.

Other amendments include the condition of the approval of at least 25 per cent of the House to contest the legality of existing laws and bylaws at the Constitutional Court, after it requested the majority of the Chamber, with keeping the right to interpret the Constitution with the majority of the Lower House or Senate. 

The amendments also included conditions of membership at the Constitutional Court by providing authority to decision makers to choose a number of experts who meet the membership of the Senate.

The Legal Committee also endorsed new authorities for the Independent Election Commission (IEC) to consider applications for establishing political parties and follow up on their affairs, instead of the Ministry of Political and Parliamentary Affairs. 

Oddat said that adding “female Jordanians” to the title of the second chapter on Jordanians’ rights and duties aims at stressing defending the rights of this social class and increasing their effective role in building society, and integrating them fully according to the principle of rights, duties, social justice and equal opportunities.