Parliament summoned to convene for extraordinary session on June 1

AMMAN — A Royal Decree was issued on Tuesday summoning Parliament to convene an extraordinary session as of June 1 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 the 2015 decentralisation and municipalities bills, the 2014 amendments to the Political Parties Law and the 2015 amendments to the Independent Elections Commission Law, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Under the decree, lawmakers are also expected to endorse the 2015 amendments to the Lower House’s by-laws and a code of conduct designed as checks and balances concerning MPs’ performance.

In meetings with heads of parliamentary blocs and committees in April, His Majesty King Abdullah stressed the importance of endorsing a code of conduct to regulate lawmakers’ performance and resolve all problems hindering the performance of the Lower House, especially the frequent lack of quorum.

Also included in the session are the 2002 temporary law of the national committee for international, humanitarian law, and the 2008 Jordan Standards and Metrology Organisation Law, according to Petra.

The 2015 amendments to the law on the judicial execution, the Jordan Dental Association Law, and the new transparency and corruption-combating law for 2015 are also included on the agenda, Petra said.

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