‘17% of deputies were absent during legislative session’

AMMAN — During the sixth week of the 18th Lower House’s first ordinary session, 17 per cent of its 130 deputies were absent during the legislative meeting and 12.3 per cent were absent during the oversight meeting, a monitor said Saturday. 

In a report published by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, the Civil Coalition for Monitoring Elections and the Performance of Elected Councils (Rasid) commended the House’s secretariat for publishing the names of the absent MPs, those with and without excuses.

Some lawmakers still sit in ministers’ seats during the sessions, which Rasid said has been recurrent since the beginning of the ordinary session and should be stopped. 

The coalition’s team observed the absence of 13 MPs with excuses during the legislative meeting and nine deputies were absent without excuses, the statement said, adding that during the oversight meeting, 12 deputies were absent with excuses and four without. 

During the sixth week, 13 House committees held 12 meetings, seven legislative, four oversight and one regulatory meeting, while the House’s Finance Committee held intensified meetings to discuss draft laws on the state budget and independent government units’ budgets for 2017, and it is expected to finish its deliberations by the end of December.

The House announced that it includes six blocs: Justice with 24 MPs, Wifaq (national accord) with 24 MPs, Watan (21 MPs), Democracy (19 MPs), Reform (14 MPs) and Tajdid (renewal) with 13 MPs, Rasid said, adding that 115 deputies are members of blocs, while 15 MPs have opted to work individually.