The Parliamentary Legal Committee heard, during its meeting, today, Tuesday, the views and proposals of a number of political parties regarding the two draft laws on elections and parties.

The head of the committee, Attorney Abdel Moneim Al-Awdat, said that the meeting comes within the meetings of the Legal Committee and its continuous meetings with parties, experts, specialists and civil society institutions to listen to their views on the amendments contained in the two draft laws.

Al-Awdat indicated, during the meeting, which was attended by the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Political and Parliamentary Affairs, Dr. Ali Al-Khawaldeh, that the meetings aim to ensure that the proposed amendments help achieve the desired goal of reaching an advanced party life, programmatic parliaments and parliamentary governments.

He pointed out that some of the amendments are positive and bring about a real reform revolution, especially the allocation of a list at the national level to political parties with 41 seats in the House of Representatives, stressing that this constitutes a strong lever for the parties.

Al-Awdat indicated that diagnosing the political reality in which we live requires rebuilding a societal culture that believes in framing political action by engaging with parties, pointing out that ensuring this is the existence of an election law that takes the parties to the parliament based on programmatic and partisan blocs, leading to parliamentary governments. Representatives of the Zamzam National Congress, the Arab Progressive Ba’ath, Hashd, Al-Awn, Al-Nida, Al-Shu’ala Al-Jordaniya, Al-Muwatana, Al-Shura, Musawah, Al-Qudwa, and the New Approach affirmed, for their part, the presence of positives in the parties and election bills, including allocating seats for parties, which confirms the seriousness The state should achieve an effective party life, and not require the resignation of a public servant wishing to run for elections.

They pointed out that the parties had several discussions with the Royal Committee to Modernize the Political System, to achieve some of their demands, calling for a reconsideration of the call of the existing parties to correct their situation within a period of time, and to re-license them within the new conditions proposed in the amendments.

They called for reducing the numbers required for the party to hold its general conference, and reducing the expansion of preventing workers in the civil public sector from joining parties, with a ban on members of the army, security services and the judiciary. For his part, the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Political and Parliamentary Affairs, Dr. Ali Al-Khawaldeh, said that approving the parties’ law with the election law is an advanced step that is taking place for the first time, confirming the state’s orientation towards a real partisan and parliamentary life.

He indicated that the recommendations of the Royal Committee on the awareness and educational aspect have nothing to do with the legal text, but are entrusted to the executive institutions to carry out their roles, as a plan has been prepared to work to achieve this through holding workshops and cooperating with the media, universities, the Ministry of Education and other institutions.