Jordan Times
Monday, December 10, 2007
Lower House elects permanent
committee members
By Mohammad Ben Hussein
AMMAN - Lower House Speaker Abdul Hadi Majali on Sunday ordered a revote for one
of the Lower House’s permanent committees after extra votes were discovered in
the ballot box during counting.
The unprecedented move took place when MPs voted to select the 11 members of the
Arab and International Affairs Committee.
During the vote, 103 deputies were present under the Dome, according to official
figures, but during the count it was discovered that the ballot box contained
105 voting cards, leading Majali to suspect that some deputies voted more than
once.
He immediately ordered a revote and asked officials at the permanent office to
summon deputies to the podium individually to cast their ballot.
“This is an unacceptable act. Deputies should set an example in law abidance,”
said Deputy Mahmoud Kharabsheh, a member of the election committee.
“We are at the beginning of this Parliament’s life and the eyes of all
Jordanians are on us, therefore, we must, as deputies, be up to this
responsibility,” he told The Jordan Times after the session concluded.
Kharabsheh noted that it was clear that “one or two deputies collected many vote
cards in order to tamper with the results”.
Earlier in the session, deputies nominated the legal affairs committee members
without voting in an attempt to “save time”.
The committee includes several veteran deputies such as Abdul Karim Dughmi, who
is expected to be elected as head of the committee.
The other members are Fakhri Eskander, Yaseen Zu’bi, Hamzah Mansour, Ayman
Shwayyat, Samih Bino, Abdullah Gharaibeh, Awad Zawaydeh, Mahmoud Kharabsheh,
Tawfiq Kreishan and Habes Shabib.
However, MPs were forced to head to the ballot box to select the high-profile
Financial Committee.
The members are Hazem Al Nasser, Ibrahim Eteiwi, Khalil Atiyyeh, Mohammad Saudi,
Marzouq Habarneh, Abdul Rahim Biqai, Yousef Qarneh, Rasmi Mallah, Ahmad
Bashabseh, Ali Dalaeen and Munir Sobar.
MPs did not elect members of the National Guidance and Palestine committees.
Majali adjourned the session until today, when Prime Minister Nader Dahabi is
scheduled to present his government’s policy statement for a vote of confidence.
The premier earlier said he would rely on His Majesty King Abdullah’s letter of
designation as a reference for his policy statement.
The King asked the prime minister to focus his efforts on improving citizens’
living conditions and reviving the economy.
Following the presentation of the policy statement, deputies are scheduled to
take turns to express their views on its contents.