Amman: The Lower House of Parliament on Monday decided to forward an amendment proposal pertaining to the ‘threshold for local list selection’ in the electoral law to the executive branch. The move is aimed at facilitating the submission of a revised draft law within the current ordinary session.
In a plenary session chaired by Speaker Ahmed Safadi, and attended by Prime Minister Bishr Khasawneh and his cabinet, the House ratified two amendment bills concerning the Access to Information Law and the Social Development Law of 2023.
The Lower Chamber has also elected to refer the 2022 Audit Bureau’s report to the Parliamentary Finance Committee, assigning it an urgent status.
The decision was made subsequent to a debate on a legislative memorandum, endorsed by 104 representatives, which sought to amend Article 49, Section 2(a) of the Election Law. The House, by a majority vote, agreed to transfer this memorandum to the government for consideration.
Speaker Safadi elucidated that the memorandum, which had bee
n rigorously examined by the Parliamentary Legal Committee, calls for a modification of the said article.
Ghazi Thneibat, Chair of the Legal Committee, underscored the imperative nature of this amendment, proposing a new criterion that necessitates at least three lists to be winners of the seats.
The proposed amendment to Article 49, Section 2(a) stipulates: “Each list surpassing the electoral threshold shall secure seats proportionate to its vote count among the lists exceeding said threshold within the local electoral district. Should there be fewer than three lists in districts with three or more seats, or less than two in districts with two seats, the Commission shall lower the threshold by one percent until a minimum of three lists in the former and two in the latter are successful.”
Concerning the draft law on the right to Access Information, the Lower House approved Articles 13 through 16 in the current session, having previously sanctioned Articles 1 to 12.
Article Fourteen mandates that every dep
artment must index and categorize information and documents as per professional and technical standards, classifying confidential materials in line with existing legislation. Article Twelve prohibits officials from disclosing confidential intergovernmental documents, information detrimental to national defense or state security, or personal data.
The draft law defines ‘information’ as any written data, records, statistics, or documents in any form under official jurisdiction.
Additionally, the Lower Chamber reviewed the Audit Bureau’s 2022 report, subsequently resolving to assign it to the Parliamentary Finance Committee for urgent consideration.
The report comprised 376 supervisory outputs, including 5,087 observations and violations, with significant fiscal savings accrued for the public treasury.
The session concluded with the approval of the 2023 Social Development Law draft. This law aims to empower the Ministry to provide equitable social care to vulnerable groups, regulate social care institutions,
and control charitable donations collection. It also proposes the establishment of a social protection and care fund and outlines penal sanctions for non-compliance with the law’s provisions.
Speaker Safadi announced that the Lower House will deliberate the state general budget for the fiscal year 2024 in the coming sessions, starting with a report from the Parliamentary Finance Committee.
Source: Jordan News Agency