Lower House passes 2022 draft political parties law

AMMAN — The Lower House on Tuesday passed the 2022 amendments to the political parties law, prohibiting the prosecution of Jordanians for their partisan affiliations. 

Under the draft law, no Jordanian university students shall be prosecuted for their partisan affiliations or on campus political activism.

The bill also allows for university students who join political parties to engage in partisan activities within the campuses of their higher education institutions without any infringement of their rights, as a bylaw will be issued to regulate such activities. 

The founding members of political parties should not be less than 1000, of which 10 per cent at least should be women and young people aged between 18 and 35. 

The law also requires that political parties increase the percentage of women and young people to at least 20 per cent within three years after their foundation.

The bill also stipulates that a foundation conference shall be held by the party within a year after meeting the requirements, with the attendance of no less than a third of the party’s 1,000 founders, who must represent six governorates at least.  

The draft law also requires existing parties to rectify their legal statuses in line with the new regulations stipulated in the new amendments within 18 months after the law comes into full force.

The political parties law, along with the elections law, has been revisited by the Royal Committee to Modernise the Political System as part of its mandate to achieve the envisioned political reform.