Jordanian constitutional amendments key reform step

 The constitutional amendments passed recently by parliament, enhancing the role of the Independent Elections Commission (IEC) and assigning the task of appointing the army and intelligence chiefs to the King, are a milestone in the political reform process, Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour said.
Addressing a conference titled 'Constitutional amendments and the parliamentary government,' held at the Al Quds Centre for Political Studies on Saturday, Ensour pointed to His Majesty's vision of moving towards parliamentary governments, in which parliament names the prime minister and MPs participate in government.
He said the King is keen on reaching this goal (of forming parliamentary governments), adding that "this declared objective of His Majesty is still pending implementation and is an inevitable step towards creating the right conditions for the government formation process." Ensour said that after he was designated by the King to form the government, he held about three months of intense consultations with lawmakers, but could not harmonize the MPs' demands.
"The constitutional amendments had bolstered and expanded the IEC's role of overseeing and administering elections, including municipal polls and other elections of a public nature, such as the very imminent decentralization scheme. In addition, it has the task to manage any elections that any entity asks the government to hold for it, including chambers of trade, professional associations and student unions," he added. The prime minister said the second amendment that gives the King the exclusive right to appoint the army and intelligence chiefs is aimed at achieving the goal of forming parliamentary governments and distancing the army and intelligence from partisan politics.
Commenting on the political parties draft law, Ensour said the government had been keen to consider all opinions in an open and free manner, noting that the bill was with the Lower House, which has the prerogative to change it.
Once the drafts regarding the municipalities and decentralization are completed, he said, these will be followed by the elections law, which will be presented to the legislature early next year. However, he stressed that the cabinet had not yet taken up the elections bill for discussion.