Parliament extraordinary session starts Sunday

AMMAN — A Royal Decree was issued on Thursday summoning Parliament to convene an extraordinary session as of Sunday, August 17, to endorse several bills.

Under the Constitution, lawmakers can only debate bills that are listed in the Royal Decree during extraordinary sessions. 

The bills for the extraordinary session include draft amendments of the Constitution, to change the second paragraph of Article 67 and Article 127 of the Constitution, in accordance with the Royal Decree (see separate story).

They also include nine draft laws. These are the independence of the judiciary, political parties, partnership between the public and the private sector, income tax, renewable energy and energy rationalising, civil retirement, investment, juveniles and the civil status temporary law. 

Lawmakers were expecting a new elections law, the core legislation piece in the political reform drive, to be discussed during the upcoming extraordinary session.

The House endorsed eight draft laws out of the 13 included in the Royal Decree that called for Parliament to convene in the extraordinary session that ended on July 11.