House okays new powers of elections body

AMMAN — The Lower House on Sunday endorsed changes to the Independent Elections Commission (IEC) Law that expanded the powers of the agency to administer parliamentary and municipal elections, in addition to any other polls assigned to it by the government.

The 2015 amendments were primarily meant to tune the provisions of the IEC Law to the 2011 amendments to the Constitution, which provided for the establishment of the independent elections body and the Constitutional Court. The two institutions are cited as key ingredients of Jordan’s political reform drive. 

MPs also granted the IEC the right to take and do whatever it deems necessary to perform its duties with complete neutrality and transparency, removing from the law a phrase added by the Legal Committee which read "according to international standards".  

The House also included appointment in the IEC under the by-laws of the Civil Service Bureau and not under a specific by-law issued by the Cabinet as the case was in the older version of the law.

The IEC will have its own budget, which will be allocated as part of the government independent units’ budget.

Sunday’s session began with the House secretary general reading the new Royal Decree adding the 2015 amendments to the law regulating the money exchange business to the bills set for debate during the extraordinary session.