Amman, Oct. 25 (Petra) - His Majesty King Abdullah II is scheduled to inaugurate the second ordinary session of the 20th Parliament, the bicameral legislature comprising the House of Representatives (Majlis al-Nuwwab) and the Senate (Majlis al-A'yan) tomorrow, Sunday. The King’s delivery of the Speech from the Throne will officially commence the new legislative session.
Immediately following the Royal Address, both chambers are mandated to undertake critical procedural work. The Senate will convene to select the committee tasked with drafting its formal response to the Speech from the Throne. Concurrently, the House of Representatives will hold its crucial organizational session. This session, presided over temporarily by the most senior deputy in terms of parliamentary service, is dedicated to the election of the House’s Permanent Bureau, which includes the Speaker, the First and Second Deputy Speakers, and two assistants.
The election of the House leadership operates under strict internal regulations. As per the bylaws, a candidate for Speaker must secure an absolute majority of the members present if the contest involves more than two candidates. Should the race be limited to two, a relative majority suffices, with a tie resolved by drawing lots.
A key provision introduced by recent amendments to the bylaws mandates gender inclusion in the Bureau. Specifically, if a female deputy is not elected to the Speaker’s post or either of the two Deputy Speaker positions, the right to contest one of the two assistant roles shall be reserved exclusively for a woman, in accordance with established procedural instructions.
Subsequent to these elections, the House will form a committee to formulate its own draft reply to the Speech from the Throne. This official response must be approved by the chamber and constitutionally submitted to His Majesty the King within 14 days of the inaugural address. The House is then expected to proceed with the election of the members of its 20 specialized parliamentary committees, essential for advancing the legislative and oversight functions.
The current House of Representatives operates under the 2022 Election Law, a cornerstone of the Kingdom’s political modernization project, which notably allocated 41 out of 138 seats to strengthen the presence and role of political party lists.
The constitutional convening of the session follows a Royal Decree issued on September 28 that had deferred the meeting of the National Assembly until the current date. A subsequent Royal Decree formally invited the Assembly to convene its ordinary session beginning Sunday, October 26. The Constitution stipulates that the ordinary session begins on the first day of October annually, unless it is a public holiday, and lasts for six months, subject to royal prerogative for extension or dissolution.
//Petra// AA
