Senate holds first ordinary session

AMMAN — The Senate on Monday held its first meeting of the first ordinary session that His Majesty King Abdullah inaugurated earlier the day with the Speech from the Throne.

Senate President Faisal Fayez expressed gratitude for His Majesty's inauguration of the ordinary session of the 19th Parliament.

He stressed that the Upper Chamber will deal with the outcomes of the Royal Committee to Modernise the Political System with a “high national sense” to translate the King’s directives into action, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Fayez also said that the Senate will consider the outcomes of the committee, mainly those pertaining to the elections and political parties law, in addition to the constitutional amendments related to these two laws to achieve His Majesty’s vision to modernise the political system.

He also expressed the House’s appreciation for King Abdullah who managed to “spare Jordan the state of chaos that the region is going through”.

He stressed the Senate’s commitment to the highest degrees of cooperation with various state institutions, mainly the Lower House and the government, out of the Chamber’s "awareness of the hazardous current conditions and their economic, security and social repercussions".

The elected members of the Senate committee, Samir Rifai, Rajai Muasher, Ahmad Abbadi, Ihsan Barakat and Maddallah Tarawneh, will prepare a reply to the Speech from the Throne.

Secretary General of the Senate Ali Zyoud read the Royal Decrees proroguing the extraordinary session of the parliament as of September 14.

The Decree postpones the start of Parliament's ordinary session to November 15 and summons the Parliament on Monday, as well as accepts the resignations of senators Wajih Oais, Haifa Najjar and Raeda Qutob.

Zyoud also read the Royal Decree appointing Mazen Darwazeh, Rima Batshon and Jamil Nimri as senators as of November 11.

Also during the session, senators Darwazeh, Batshon and Nimri were sworn in before the Senate.