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AMMAN — The Lower House on Sunday swore in Baker Ksasbeh as an MP representing Aqaba after the Independent Election Commission (IEC) named him the next eligible candidate to fill the vacant seat following the revocation of former MP Hassan Riyati's parliamentary membership.
At the start of the session, Speaker Mazen Qadi said that the IEC had declared Ksasbeh the next eligible candidate to fill the vacant seat after a final court ruling against Riyati.
Ksasbeh took the constitutional oath before the House and pledged to uphold the Constitution, serve the nation and faithfully carry out his parliamentary duties.
In his maiden speech, Ksasbeh said that he accepted the responsibility with a commitment to serving Jordan and its people, describing parliamentary membership as a public trust rather than a personal privilege.
He stressed that he would work to advance reform, defend citizens' interests and support national causes, while reaffirming his party's backing for the Palestinian cause.
Ksasbeh was named the next eligible candidate by the IEC after Riyati lost his parliamentary membership following a final court ruling sentencing him to two years in prison.
The vacancy arose after the Lower House terminated Riyati's membership under Article 75 of the Constitution.
The IEC said Ksasbeh, who ran on the Islamic Action Front list in the Aqaba local electoral district for the party now known as the Ummah Party, was the next eligible candidate on the same list in accordance with the 2022 Election Law for the Lower House.
Riyati's membership was revoked after the Court of Appeal upheld a two-year prison sentence against him in an assault case brought by former MP Shadi Freij, making the sentence final under the Penal Code.
