By-election expected to fill vacant Lower House seat

AMMAN — The Independent Elections Commission (IEC) is constitutionally required to hold by-elections to fill the Lower House seat left vacant after Deputy Mohammad Khasawneh (Irbid, 2nd District) passed away on Tuesday.

According to Article 88 of the Constitution, the 150-strong Lower House must inform the IEC of vacant seats within one month, after which the commission has two months to hold the by-election in Irbid’s second district to fill the seat.

“The term of the new member shall be for the remaining part of the term of his predecessor,” the article says.

Three members of the current Lower House have died: Khasawneh, Mohammad Mahseiri (Amman, 2nd District) and Mahmoud Hweimel (Karak, 4th District). 

A fourth seat was left vacant after deputy Talal Sharif (Amman, 1st District) was expelled from the House after attempting to shoot his colleague MP Qusai Dmeisi (Zarqa, 4th District) last year.

Since the resumption of democratic life in Jordan in 1989, nine by-elections have been conducted to fill the vacant seats of MPs who either died or whose memberships were cancelled.