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AMMAN — The Independent Election Commission (IEC) on Wednesday said that Baker Ksasbeh is the next eligible candidate to fill the vacant Lower House seat representing Aqaba after former MP Hassan Riyati lost his parliamentary membership following a final court ruling sentencing him to two years in prison.
The IEC said it had responded to a letter sent by the Lower House speaker on July 14, informing the commission that the seat representing the Aqaba local electoral district had become vacant after Riyati's membership was terminated under Article 75 of the Constitution.
"Article 10 of the Election Law provides for the vacancy of the seat in such cases," the IEC said.
The commission also said that Ksasbeh, who ran on the Islamic Action Front list in the Aqaba local electoral district for the Islamic Action Front Party, now known as the Ummah Party, was the next eligible candidate on the same list based on the number of votes received.
The IEC also noted that the decision was made in accordance with Article 57(a) of the 2022 Election Law for the Lower House and its amendments.
Riyati lost his parliamentary membership after the Court of Appeal upheld a final two-year prison sentence against him following a criminal complaint filed by former MP Shadi Freij, who accused Riyati of physically assaulting him.
The sentence became final under the provisions of the Penal Code.
