 THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH |
Government
The Executive Branch
Legislative power resides with the King and the parliament, which comprises a 40-member upper house (Senators) and an 80-member lower house (deputies). The King appoints the members of the upper house, while deputies are directly elected by national suffrage, with men and women over the age of 18 eligible to vote, save members of the armed forces.
| THE PARLIAMENT |
Parliamentary life in Jordan is a tradition that dates back to 1929.
The lower house initiates, debates and votes on legislation in conjunction with the government. A bill approved by the house is then passed by the house speaker to the senate for debate and a vote. If approved, it is then submitted to King, who can either grant consent by a Royal Decree, or return it unapproved, with justification for his refusal. In the latter case, the bill is returned to the lower house where the review and voting process is repeated. Should both houses pass the bill a second time by a two-thirds majority, it becomes an act of parliament, and goes into effect upon its publication in the official gazette.
Any bill rejected by the upper house is returned to the lower house for amendment. Disagreement between the two houses is settled by a two-thirds majority vote in a joint session of both houses.
Israeli occupation of the West Bank immediately following the general election of April 1967 impeded the democratic process in Jordan by making it impossible to hold elections in the occupied territories. The following years saw two forms of substitute parliamentary institutions: an extension of the mandate of the last elected parliament, and the stopgap National Consultative Council (NCC) in 1978. | The NCC was created as a temporary body empowered to render advice and consultation, discuss public policy, consider legislation and laws submitted and passed by the government, and debate general state policy in cooperation with the government. The council had no powers to approve, amend or reject legislation. Its 60 members were appointed for two-year terms, upon the recommendation of the prime minister.
The NCC was dissolved in 1984, when by-elections were held in the East Bank to fill seven seats vacated by the death of some members of the last elected parliament. Vacant West Bank seats were filled by a vote within the parliament itself, whose 60 seats at the time were divided equally into 30 deputies from each of the east and west banks.
When Jordan severed legal and administrative ties with the occupied West Bank in July 1988, King Hussein announced plans to restore parliamentary life.
The government clarified the status of Palestinians west of the river who had been Jordanian nationals when the West Bank was part of Jordan, and granted them temporary two-year Jordanian passports.
In November 1989, Jordanian nationals in the East Bank went to the polls to elect the first new house in 22 years. Lower house seats were increased from 60 to 80, and upper house seats from 30 to 40; the Islamist candidates won about 40 percent of lower house seats. Although political parties were still banned, the elections spurred growing popular involvement in local politics and motivated political dynamism through the formation of political groups and blocs within the house, notably the Islamists, Democrats, Nationalists and Independents.
In 1993, upon the expiry of the previous parliament's four-year mandate, new elections were held with legalized political parties and the introduction of the one person, one vote system. The 1993 elections resulted in the resurgence of tribal and traditional tendencies at the expense of the Islamists and Nationalists.
The first woman deputy was elected to one of Amman's seats, and two women were appointed to the new upper house.
Twenty-two political parties were established after a new law legalized parties in 1991. Constant attempts at mergers and coalitions among small, like-minded parties are taking place to strengthen their impact and improve their chances at the next elections. |
