Senate makes changes to 2 bills

AMMAN — The Senate on Monday rejected the Lower House's amendments to the draft municipalities and Independent Elections Commission (IEC) laws.

During Monday's session, the Senate rejected MPs' amendments to the draft municipalities law under which candidates for the position of mayors should hold bachelor's degree as the minimum academic requirement, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Passing the reform-oriented bill on August 16, the Lower House endorsed an article requiring candidates for the position of mayor in areas with a population of 100,000 or more to be bachelor’s degree holders.

Candidates running for the position of mayor in areas with a population of more than 15,000 and less than 100,000 should, under MPs' amendments, hold the high school degree as the minimum requirement.

The senators cancelled the article on the premises that education credentials should not prevent eligible voters from running for the post. 

The Senate also refused that the boundaries of a certain district be enlarged or narrowed, as amended by MPs, so that municipal councils can be merged or split up, leaving the whole issue to be decided by the Cabinet. 

Senators also rejected MPs' changes to the IEC Law, including appointments in the oversight agency under the jurisdiction of the Civil Service Bureau Law, according to Petra.