Jordan Times
Monday, February 5, 2007
House endorses
municipalities draft law
By Mohammad Ben Hussein
AMMAN — The Lower House endorsed the
municipalities draft law on Sunday, paving the way for nationwide municipal
elections later this year.
The law grants women a 20 per cent quota in municipal councils and allows for
the direct election of mayors outside Amman.
It also reduces the age of eligible voters from 19 to 18 years to allow a wider
range of citizens to take part in the ballots.
During three consecutive sessions, lawmakers introduced several amendments to
the draft law, including an article that permits deputies to serve in municipal
councils.
Several deputies requested reopening discussion on the article after the House
approved the 67-article law during yesterday’s session, but veteran lawmakers,
including Deputy Abdur-Ra’uf S. Rawabdeh (Irbid, Second District) Abdul Karim
Dughmi (Mafraq) and Saad Hayel Srour (North Badia), managed to persuade the rest
of the House to hold on to their position.
The House rejected an article that allows the government to appoint
municipalities’ general managers and gave the elected municipal councils the
authority to do so.
An article, that allows municipalities to enter partnership deals with the
private sector, provoked a heated debate when Deputy Mamdouh Abbadi (Amman,
Third District) accused the Greater Amman Municipality of “occupying” lands of
citizens in Abdali to carry out joint projects with the private sector.
He said the municipality refuses to allow owners of real estate in the area to
sell, build or rent their properties under the pretext that they are “under
study for appropriation.”
Abbadi, a former Amman mayor, said the law allows the municipality to
appropriate a privately-owned land only in the best interests of the public, not
the private sector.
He said the article should be rejected because it can be used to break the law.
During yesterday’s session, deputies also discussed issues related to
municipalities’ financial and legal powers as well as authorisation to carry out
development projects.
The Lower House is expected to send the law to the Senate for approval before
referring it to the King to sign it into law.
Prime Minister Marouf Bakhit told deputies last week that the government plans
to start preparations for elections once the law is enacted.
In his Speech from the Throne, delivered at the opening of the 4th ordinary
session of Parliament last November, His Majesty King Abdullah affirmed the
importance and necessity of finalising laws sent to the legislature, “especially
those regulating political parties, municipalities, media and freedom of
information.”
Meanwhile, several MPs signed a letter urging restraint among the Palestinian
factions, Fateh and Hamas.
“We call on our Palestinian brothers, mainly Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas
and Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh and the leadership of Fateh and Hamas to
preserve Palestinian blood and stand unified against the Israeli occupation,”
the letter said.
According to Deputy Mohammad Aqel (Balqa, Fourth District), head of the
Palestine Committee, a delegation representing the House plans to visit the
Palestinian territories to deliver the message to the Palestinian leadership.
Also on Sunday, at least 50 deputies signed a petition in which they called on
the government to “slow down” the privatisation policy of public enterprise,
mainly in the energy sector.
“We call on the government to look for methods to support the troubled
electricity and energy sectors due to their strong impact on the livelihood of
citizens,” the petition said.
During the House deliberation of the 2007draft budget, several deputies
castigated the government for its privatisation policy, saying citizens would
not be able to handle an increase in energy price.
They called on the government to explore alternative sources of revenue as well
as setting up a long-term energy strategy.
Last month, King Abdullah entrusted HRH Prince Hamzah with heading a Royal panel
to revise and modernise the national strategy for energy. The King told Bakhit
in a letter that the objective was to meet challenges facing the sector. The
Monarch also directed the committee to reconsider the national strategy to
restructure the entire energy sector and set a viable plan for the coming 15
years in line with the country’s needs as well as a clear timetable and goals.
On Monday the lower House is scheduled to hold a special session to discuss the
reasons behind the failure of the JD60 million Karameh Dam.
The decision was prompted by a letter signed by 63 deputies calling for an
immediate investigation to find out why the dam did not live up to its
potential.